Iowa State will be at Fertitta Center Monday night for a rematch from the second game of the Big 12 season. Houston needs a revenge win to take the outright lead in the conference standings. Iowa State is well-coached and talented.

Here’s my updated Iowa State personnel scout, including Kelvin Sampson comments:

Iowa State Personnel.

* Probable Starters

*#3 Tamin Lipsey 6’1″ So. – 13ppg, 5rpg, 5.5apg, 3spg

Kelvin on Sunday: “elite point guard;”
vs. UH- 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal;
Quick three-level scoring point guard;
Great court vision. Outstanding on the drive and kick (Ranked #31 nationally in assists per game with 5.5);
Really good rebounding guard at 5rpg;
Ranked #3 nationally in steals per game (3spg):

*#10 Keshon Gilbert 6’4″ Jr. – 14ppg, 5rpg (UNLV)

Kelvin on Sunday: “Fearless. Tough. Aggressive. Can score and shoot;”
vs. UH: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists;
Athletic shooting guard;
Loves to drive and kick. Good at attacking gaps in the defense;
Solid three-point shooter, but better at driving;
Loves to run in transition;
Good rebounding guard:

*#22 Milan Momcilovic 6’8″ Fr. – 12ppg, 3rpg

Kelvin on Sunday: “one of the toughest matchups. I really like him. Talented kid. He’s really good. Smart, tough. Good decision maker;”
vs. UH: 11 points, 3 rebounds;
vs. UH: 11 points, 3 rebounds;
Long stretch-forward;
ELITE shooter from three-point and mid-range;
Solid in the “Pick and Pop”;
Likes the “Dirk” mid-post fade away:

*#0 Tre King 6’7″ Sr. – 9ppg, 5rpg (Georgetown/Eastern Kentucky)

vs. UH: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals;
Big/strong/athletic forward;
Capable face-up player in the post;
Solid in the paint;
Capable of the three but prefers shots in the lane:

*#12 Robert Jones 6’10” Sr. – 9ppg, 5rpg, 1bpg

Kelvin on Sunday: “Plays with great energy;”
vs. UH: 6 points, 3 rebounds;
Long/Athletic post player;
Really good offensive rebounder;
Good rim-runner;
Capable face-up player in the post;
Likes the leaner/floater in the paint. Really nice touch;
Struggles sometimes vs a double-team. (MONSTER TRAP);
Poor free-throw shooter (50%):

#5 Curtis Jones 6’4″ Sr. – 10ppg, 3rpg (Buffalo)

vs. UH- ZERO points…really good scorer though;
Looks to bring an offensive spark off the bench;
Good three-point shooter (35%);
Can score off the dribble.

#24 Hason Ward 6’9″ Sr. – 6ppg, 4rpg, 1bpg (VCU)

vs. UH: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals;
Long/Athletic forward;
Super Bouncy. Good shot blocker;
Solid around the rim on offense;
Not an outside threat. Poor FT Shooter (52%);
Very similar to Ja’Vier. Extremely athletic:

#1 Jackson Paveletzke 6’2″ So. 4ppg, 1rpg (Wofford)

Smaller shooting guard;
Solid three-point shooter (43%);
Capable driver, but I don’t love his chances of scoring in the paint against the Coogs.

#4 Demarion Watson 6’7″ So. – 2ppg., 2rpg

Tall forward/long wing span;
Hasn’t played much. Averaging around 6-7 minutes per game lately.

#33 Omaha Biliew 6’8″ Fr. – 3ppg, 2rpg

Long defensive specialist;
Not likely to get in the game;
Highly recruited;
Pretty good in the pick and roll.

Keys to Victory

Tamin Lipsey is the “Head of the Snake.” He makes them go. Kelvin Sampson called him an elite point guard on Sunday. They have several capable scorers, but he is their best overall player. I suspect he will get the Jamal Shead assignment. That has typically not ended well for most guards.
No easy looks for their offense. The Coogs must “do what they do” defensively. Iowa State doesn’t have the prototype superstar but has several guys capable of scoring. UH will have to communicate defensively and not allow wide-open looks.
Paint touches on offense. UH should be able to attack gaps in the Cyclones’ defense and get paint touches from the driving guards or by feeding the post. This should allow floaters, post moves, or passes out to open shooters.
Limit Turnovers. The Cyclones thrive on turning teams over and getting easy baskets off of steals. The Coogs had a season-high 16 turnovers in Ames. They have to keep that number closer to single digits on Monday night.
Toughest team wins. Iowa State was the tougher team in Ames. They attacked on offense, turned the Coogs over on defense, and were the first on the floor for loose balls. This has not happened to the Coogs in Fertitta Center, and I don’t expect that to change Monday night! The Coogs will look to show that they are the toughest team not only in the Big 12 but in the entire country. This is a must-watch match-up!