#15o R.P.I. Iowa State vs. #136 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s hoops came back and won vs. Boise State on Thanksgiving nite down in the Sunshine State.

The Hokies are now slotted to whirlwind on the N.B.A. -esque less than 24-hour short-turn vs. the Iowa State Cyclones on Thanksgiving Nite+1. Here you will find out where Mike Young and Co. lie in terms of 2o23-2o24 Strength & Condition. As they are about to enter the short-legs credible of Association truth. Nevertheless, what you wanna (briefly) know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, read on… to finds… out!

Iowa State Head Coach: Thomas John Otzelberger: age=, 145–90 (.617)  overall, and 46–27 (.63o) @ISU.
Has a rep’ for: ‘loud’, very volatile guy, up-n-comer, and builder.
Also fo’ ‘easy-baskets’ and something of an emerging Xs & Os wiz’.
$1.5 Million

Did SHARP work for: North Dakota State and just had things turning around out-west @U.n.l.v.

On March 18, 2021, Otzelberger was hired at Iowa State, replacing Steve Prohm who was fired after winning just two games in a COVID-shortened season. Otzelberger won his 100th career game on November 9, 2021, in an 84-73 victory over Kansas State. Otzelberger accomplished the nation’s largest turnaround in his first year at the helm at Iowa State, winning 22 games and making the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.

Otzelberger is openly passionate about teaching young people and was actively involved in the National Association of Basketball Coaches “Stay in to Win” program. This program was set up to help students focus on making important decisions in order to become more successful in school and impact their overall quality of life. Otzelberger is also highly involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is also a member of the Villa 7 Consortium, which aims to develop the nation’s top assistant coaches.

The 46-year-old native of Milwaukee was a two-year captain at UW-Whitewater, where he earned his business administration degree in 2001. He added a Masters’ of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-Whitewater in 2004.

Youngling Coach Otz’ attended Thomas More High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was a three-year starter on the varsity basketball team. He played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was team captain for two years. On June 1, 2013, he married Alison Lacey.

Lacey, the hoopHER is a three-time All-Big 12 player for the ISU women’s basketball program. Lacey scored 1,620 points while leading the Cyclones to four NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight (2009) and Sweet 16 (2010). She played professionally in the WNBA for the Seattle Storm, including its championship season of 2010. Lacey was inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

The couple has three children: Jayce, Olivia and Stella.

Iowa State at a glance:

• #1 in Scoring Margin (to the epic: +45.5 ppg)!!!
• #1 in Scoring D allowed (accordingly…)!!!
• #1 in FG-percentage D allowed!!!
• 7th best in FG-percentage O!!!
• 7th best in Assist:Turnover ratio!!!
• 43rd most FTA’s/game! (They get their ‘whistles’ here).
• 110th or better in all categories (outta 32) I track!!! wow’s!
• 328th most in 3’s attempted/per game. (Not a Splash Brothers set of bombers from long).
• 3 significant hurts were reported; however. Coach God thrice bless!

Returning Starters=1.

Iowa State Strengths:

• Very balanced team. Hard to key. In extra particular on O.
• One, double-deuce, or #22, Milan Momcilovic F, is their best Big. 6′8″, 21o lb., true-Fresh. 14.8 ppg with 4.o rpg and a silky 6o% long with 56% floor and 88% FTs is as John Wayne shootist as it all-’round gets. Lindy’s says he is “a big-time get”. Some say he is an S/G trapped in a frontcourters body too. **** or quad-stellar kid. Had a really poor game no.1 for I.S.U. in FLA, however. He is better than 4-points just like dat. Prepped at Pewaukee High School; where he only led the Pirates to three- straight state championship blings. Back-to-back-to-back blings, 3peat as Coach Riley coined the term way back when. The 34th-best player in the country by 247 Sports, yes; this is a ‘big-time get’ as his D-1 star-studded offer list does attest.
• 6′7″, 23o lb., Tre King is your Mo’ Lucas enforcer type here. Academic All-Big 12 Second Team (23)
  Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll is solid and PROPs enuff. Leads in rebounding and fills it in box score-wise after that. Check it… 1p.3 ppg with 6.3 rpg on 1.3 apg and a second-best 1.8 spg to boot. Eastern Kentucky U with a hometown of Lexington makes you wonder how he got away. 15 ppg and 7 rpg for the EKU crew is nifty work. And tells you he has subsumed himself here. First-team All-Ohio Valley honors and that after a H.S. #4 finish nationally from hoops factory: Hargrave Academy tells you he is carpentry savvy and hardwood, well-schooled.

  

• 6′4″, 2oo lb., third-year, Keshon Gilbert is your lead-G here. Hard looking street-wise kid who came over with his coach from U.n.l.v. 14.5 ppg with 4.o rpg on 2.3 apg and the team lead at 1.9 swipes speak to his overall swagg. The 25% length does not speak to his range. Which is 35.9% for his 3-point career. Said to be a tough-enuff Pt.Guard1.

Iowa State Weaknesses:

• 5 former starters all graduated and/or left.
• Lotta turnover here. Buncha scorers left at nearly -64 ppg gonzo. Including their one legit C.
• Some question the ‘efficiency’ of this set. It is an offensive risk-friendly one to be sure.

• Rock is a big ole 7′2″ legit-5 space eater; Ward is the more contributory well-rounder guy tho’.

Cyclone Bench: (depth=at least 4 deep with a handful of spot-minute getters behind that, VERY deep)

6′4″, 194 lb., senior-season Curtis Jones G2, is the only bencher to net a 3 thus far this year! (26.1% behind the arc). The 1o.4 ppg are less than his 16 ppg from B’lo last year. As this is a very interesting 6th-man. The kind that can pop-clean on the sudden and suddenly hurt you according. Lindy’s is very high on him. A well-seasoned veteran who has seen it all… misQ free all grown-up. All-MAC Third Team last year and seems to have a late-game knack as a mini-me closer of sorts.

Last-year, 6′1o″, 255 lb., Robert Jones F (no-Bobby Relation) is your signature post-sub’. 8 ppg and 5 rpg with 2 swipes and nearly 2 swats say so. As does his sizzling 76% overall. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and Black Student Union. So, there is that too.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Cyclones who could wind @Tech=6 or 7 anyways...

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… Eye serially needs to finish the hooVa preview… hence the brevity…

…that, and Happy Thanksgiving ’23 @TSL.com!!!

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for an A.c.c. askback.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… Iowa State is up a downright nifty +1o in shooting percentage margin (very educated on O and yet a damn vice on D, best we D-see?); with the Cyclones up a decent +3% in 3-point percentage margin (i.State is less on 3-O though covered that with room to spare in their 3-D), and yet this Big-12 s up twelveteen (+12) in carroms collected in rebounding margin year-to-date. (As VeeTee is actually positive here, at +3. Although State is All-State off the fiberglass thus far this campaign!)

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… in shooting percentage margin, in 3-point percentage margin, and in rebounding margin… they say what game number is this, b.street?!?

Armchair Pt.Guard’s:

V.P.I. is a .5oo neutral; whereas I.S.U. is 1.oo as a Swiss.
VT is up +12% at the charity stripe for the year!
Iowa State is up +2 in R&R.

The Call…

No.99 Net Ranking  Iowa State vs. no.119 Net Ranking Vah.Tech:

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–oOo–

The VerdicT:

My verdict here is…

• We were okay with the strange rims/floor, lighting, and lines-of-sight in game no.1 Not good/bad, ‘okay’.
• We did get to the Line. That we were really good at.
• Iowa State appears to be REALLY good at nearly everything. Truly.

And I was surprised they were as tight as they were vs. V.c.u. in game #1 to be sure.

Maybe they found this gym “toooooo hard” or not to their 3-bears liking? As one of their 3-stars popped dirty and their whole entire pine squad only popped for 2 makes on the entire game. How sure are you they pop that cheap in game number two?

Me too on me three not liking thaty.
’cause V.c.u. is not all that and a ‘snap’. As they only have 2-Guards and they got done out by little ole: McNeese. Or in other words… this was a ‘false-negative’ from Iowa State of sorts. They better den dis. As they left an easy 10+ points out on the field vs. the Rams from what I late afternoon saw.

As this could be the best team in the Tourney when they play their best. It will take a Top-Tech game to nick this one here.

In final words… this one feels a mite/might windy to me.

 

(44% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=77, Iowa State=85

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**