Game #2
Lindenwood (0-1, 0-0 OVC)
at Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Match Information:
Date: Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Hilton Coliseum
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
Lindenwood Game Notes: Notes

Matchup
The Lindenwood men's basketball team (0-1, 0-0 OVC) returns to action as they take on their second Power Five team in as many games as they take on the Cyclones of Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten).

On Monday, the Lions suffered a loss to Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. by a final score of 84-52. Lindenwood had two double digit scorers including the Lions' returning scoring leader Keenon Cole.

Iowa State is coming off an opening day win against the Phoenix of Greeny Bay by a final score of 85-44. The Cyclones had four double-digit scorers including 18 points from Milan Momcilovic.

To begin the season, the Lions were picked to finish 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference as they begin their second Division I season in program history under head coach Kyle Gerdeman.

Players to Watch
Jeremiah Talton was the second leading scorer for the Lions in their opening night loss to Nebraska. Talton, a transfer from John Woods CC, scored all 10 points in the second half at Nebraska. He also led the Lions with two three-pointers.

Colin Ruffin is the only freshman to play against Nebraska and put up solid numbers in his first game. Playing 20 minutes, Ruffin had nine points and five rebounds for Lindenwood. He also led the team in FG% after shooting .500 (4-8 FG).

OVC Preseason Rankings
In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, Morehead State has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2023-24 season. It marks the second-straight year the Eagles have been tabbed the favorites.
 
The Eagles picked up 20 of 22 first-place votes (teams could not vote for themselves); Tennessee State picked up the other votes.  MSU tallied 200 points and was followed by SIUE (162), who was picked second. Tennessee State (153) was picked third and followed by UT Martin (149), Southeast Missouri (124), Tennessee Tech (120), Little Rock (85), Western Illinois (80), Southern Indiana (63), Lindenwood (40) and Eastern Illinois (34).

Scouting Iowa State
The Cyclones went 19-14 last season with a 9-9 Big 12 record under third year head coach T.J. Otzelberger. Notable wins for ISU included Villanova, North Carolina, Baylor and Texas. Iowa State would then go on to loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to #11 Pittsburgh.

Iowa State was picked to finish in seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Rankings. The Cyclones lost their top four leading scorers from the 2022-23 season. They are one of four schools to rank in the Top 10 of KenPom's Adjusted Defense rankings the past two years.

Tamin Lipsey returns to coach Otzelberger's squad after making All-Big 12 Freshman team a season ago. He averaged 7.3 ppg, 4.4 apg, 4.0 rpg and 2.2 spg. He was one of only two players in the countries to average those numbers.

Head Coach: Kyle Gerdeman
Kyle Gerdeman enters his fifth year at the helm of the Lindenwood men's basketball program in the 2023-24 season. The Lions concluded their inaugural Division I season in 2022-23 where Gerdeman led the Lions to an appearances in the OVC Tournament after a wild finish to the season.

The Lions took down in-state rival Southeast Missouri State in double-overtime to keep their postseason hopes alive.  In the final game of the regular season, Lindenwood needed a win to move on, and Kevin Caldwell Jr. answered the call with a game-winning bucket in overtime.

Lindenwood led the OVC in free-throw percentage (75.6), and was second in the OVC in three-point percentage (39.1).  Chris Childs held the top spot in the league with a free-throw percentage of 92.7, while Keenon Cole was atop the OVC with a three-point percentage of 51.0 percent.  The Lions clawed their way to three overtime wins on the season.  Lindenwood also posted two comeback victories from 20 points down, and another 17-point comeback during OVC play.

Up Next
The Lions return to Hyland Arena on Monday, Nov. 13 to take on Hannibal-LaGrange for their 2023-24 home opener starting at 7:00 p.m. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.