The Iowa State Cyclones take on Purdue on Saturday night in the Las Vegas Classic. The Cyclones are 6-4 after a 79-55 win over Texas Southern while the Boilermakers are 7-3 after a loss at home to Wofford.
Iowa State coach Greg McDermott says this is not a vacation for the team and if it’s all over and they have time to see the city, they might do that. But McDermott says right now they need 100% of their focus on basketball.
He says Purdue will provide a tough challenge, as they play a quarter court man-to-man defense. Alabama and Missouri State are on the other side of the bracket.
Iowa State women’s coach Bill Fennelly says he would love to have a victory for Christmas. The Cyclones visit Minnesota, tonight, and with a win would head into the holiday break with a record of 9-1. He says they’ve played well and defended very well, even when they’ve had trouble scoring.
Fennelly says Minnesota is very good at home and has size they haven’t seen since facing Iowa. The Gophers are 8-3 and coach Pam Borton says it is a great matchup. Borton says it’s the final tuneup before the Big Ten season and should be exciting.
Borton says the Gophers will need a solid defensive effort, as ISU is always good at shooting the three pointer. Borton says the Cyclones have a good mix of veterans and new kids, and played in the arena during last year’s NCAA tournament. This will be Minnesota’s first game in nearly two weeks.