After a grueling stretch that included the Maui Invitational and a Big 12-Big East Battle showdown with fourth-ranked Marquette, Iowa State men’s basketball is getting a reprieve in its non-conference schedule.
The fifth-ranked Cyclones (6-1) are riding a three-game winning streak. They fended off a late push by Marquette and won, 81-70, in their outing on Wednesday.
Iowa State will host Jackson State (0-9) on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum. The game will also be available on ESPN+. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
Here are three things to watch for in Sunday’s game:
Jackson State’s long non-conference road
The Tigers are projected to be one of the top teams in the SWAC this season, taking fourth out of 12 teams in a preseason conference coaches’ poll, but they haven’t really had an opportunity to showcase that.
Jackson State enters Sunday’s matchup winless, and its non-conference slate has been unforgiving. The Tigers are entirely on the road for their non-conference schedule, which has mostly featured them as “buy game” opponents, much like Sunday’s contest. Playing top-tier programs on the road helps Jackson State to bolster its athletics department finances.
The Tigers have suffered lopsided losses against the likes of Houston, Xavier, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, so expect Iowa State to be heavily favored on Sunday.
Jackson State’s last two games have been its most competitive to date. The Tigers lost a close one to Arkansas State, 66-64, on Thursday. Before that, they fell to Saint Louis, 74-66, on Monday night.
Big shooting night for Iowa State?
Jackson State is undergoing massive growing pains this season, especially with a new-look team.
The Tigers returned only 6.4% of their minutes from last season, so there are plenty of players taking bigger roles for the first time this year, as well as transfers.
The difficult non-conference slate has served as a big trial by fire for the Tigers.
Jackson State has struggled on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers allow an effective field goal percentage of 59.4%, which ranks 360 out of 364 Division I teams.
Their most glaring issue has been protecting the perimeter. Jackson State has allowed opponents to shoot 42.2% from beyond the arc over its first nine games, which ranks 359th in the country.
This could be a big night for Cyclone shooters, particularly Milan Momcilovic and Curtis Jones. It will also be an opportunity to see Iowa State move the ball and find those optimal shots, because Jackson State has largely been a step behind on defense.
Jackson State is inconsistent offensively
The Tigers rank 343rd in the country for offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
They struggle with turnovers, coughing the ball up on 20.7% of possessions. Their shooting percentages inside the arc (39.5%) and from the three-point line (30.1%) rank among the worst in the country.
Jayme Mitchell is Jackson State’s leading scorer and its lone player averaging in double figures for points per game. Mitchell is enjoying a breakout year, after seeing limited action in the 2022-23 season and getting his 2023-24 campaign cut short by a season-ending injury. He’s bounced between sixth man and starting roles, as Jackson State tries to find the best way to utilize him for a much-needed offensive spark.
Mitchell is averaging 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.3% overall and 36.8% from long range. He scored in double figures in each of their last three games. His best outing came in a lopsided loss to Xavier, where he dropped a career-high 26 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
Also keep an eye on 6-foot-11, 290-pound center Shannon Grant. The graduate transfer played three years at Mercer and had his career-best year last season at Florida A&M. Grant was tabbed a SWAC preseason all-conference first-team selection. He enters Sunday’s contest averaging 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball: 3 things to watch vs. Jackson State
