AMES – No. 5 Iowa State opens the 118th season of men’s basketball Monday night against Mississippi Valley State inside Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger heads into his fourth season as lead of the Cyclones, ranked #5 in the nation. The Cyclones are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, finishing with a 29-8 overall record and a 13-5 Big 12 record. Iowa State advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in program history, while also winning the fifth Big 12 Tournament Championship in the last 10 seasons.
Iowa State will play two SWAC schools this season, hosting Jackson State on Dec. 8. The Cyclones are 41-1 all-time against the SWAC, with ISU’s 7-0 record against Mississippi Valley State the most wins against the league. Mississippi Valley State senior Alvin Stredic will be playing the Cyclones for the third time in his career, with all three meetings at Hilton Coliseum. Stredic played ISU twice with Arkansas- Pine Bluff, with the Cyclones picking up victories in 2020 and 2021. In the 2020 meeting, he tallied two points and six rebounds in 32 minutes, while grabbing three rebounds in 14 minutes in 2021.
For the second-straight meeting, Iowa State and Mississippi Valley State will tipoff in the season opener.
In the last meeting between the squads, future All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton had a whale of a game. Haliburton finished with 12 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and six steals. He was one of just two players since 1996 to record that statline.
Former Mississippi Valley State Head Coach James Green (2005-08) served as an assistant coach at Iowa State under Tim Floyd for two seasons (1994-96). Green led the Delta Devils to the NIT in his second season and the NCAA Tournament in his third and final season. Green spent eight seasons at Jacksonville State following his time
at Mississippi Valley State. He retired from coaching following last season after eight years at Meridian Community College.
Iowa State is 94-23 all-time in season openers and 96-21 all-time in home openers. The Cyclones have won their last six home openers, including a 3-0 record in season openers for T.J. Otzelberger.