AMES, Iowa – Iowa State hosts Oakland Friday night at Hilton Coliseum in the season opener for both teams. The game is part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
Iowa State is in its fifth season under head coach Fred Hoiberg and the 108th season in school history. Hoiberg has led ISU to the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons and is seeking to become the first coach in school history to earn four berths in a row. Hoiberg is 90-47 overall.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 14 in the AP preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking since 1996-97 (9).
ISU is 87-20 in home season openers. The Cyclones have won 16 season openers in a row dating back to 1997. Iowa State has won 20 straight home games against nonconference opponents, the 16th-longest streak in the nation.
Iowa State earned an exhibition win last Friday against Viterbo. The 67-point win was ISU’s second largest in an exhibition game (Fort Sill, 1991-92, 68 points).
Iowa State will be without the services of Abdel Nader and Matt Thomas. Both players missed the exhibition game and will miss the first two games of the regular season due to a violation of team rules. Nader redshirted last season after transferring from Northern Illinois. Thomas played in all 36 games as a freshman, averaging 5.5 points. Both had been arrested for drunk driving earlier this year.
