KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA – Iowa State is set to take on Virginia Tech Friday in the semifinals of the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla. Iowa State will be looking for its third- straight Feast Week event championship game appearance under T.J. Otzelberger. The game is at 4:30 PM and will be televised on ESPN2.
This will be the first meeting against the J Hokies for T.J. Otzelberger. Iowa State is 7-18 all-time against the ACC, including a 1-1 record against Virginia Tech. Otzelberger is 1-3 against teams from the ACC, including a victory over North Carolina in the semifinals J of the Phil Knight Invitational last season in Portland.
The Cyclones scored 85-plus points in the first four games this season. It was J the first time Iowa State had scored over 85 points in four-straight games since February 2016 and the first time doing so in the first four games of the year since 1987-88.
Last time out, Iowa State trailed by as much as 15 in the first half, missing 17-straight shots at one point, before rallying for a 68-64 victory over VCU in the ESPN Events Invitational Quarterfinals. The Cyclones were led by 22 points apiece from Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert, while Robert Jones added 12 points. Gilbert tallied his first career double-double, adding a game-high 10 rebounds to his stat line. Lipsey had seven rebounds and four assists, along with three steals.
The Cyclones will play either No. 12 Texas A&M or No. 19 Florida Atlantic in the final game of the ESPN Events Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 26. With a victory over Virginia Tech on Friday, Iowa State would play in the championship at 12 p.m. (CT) on Sunday on ESPN. If the Cyclones fall to the third place game, they would play at 5 p.m. (CT) Sunday on ESPN2.