Iowa State’s season opener carries some real weight, and T.J. Otzelberger isn’t treating Memphis like just another nonconference warm-up.
The Cyclones will face the Tigers on Nov. 2 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, marking the second straight year Iowa State is being welcomed to the city. Last season, the Cyclones made a loud early statement there with a dominant win over Mississippi State, and they’ll be aiming for something similar this time against a Memphis team trying to reset after a rough 13-19 season and an 8-10 mark in AAC play.
Otzelberger has already dug into the film, including Memphis’ exhibition game against No. 13 Arkansas, and he came away impressed with how Penny Hardaway has pieced the roster together.
"They've done a great job of how they put their roster together and their team together," Otzelberger said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required). "They play extremely hard.
I think what stands out to me on the front line, their bigs play with tremendous spirit, passion, energy, enthusiasm. They've got veteran guards, guys that have had experience at the high major level and been successful.
And I think their team fits together really well."
Memphis has plenty of turnover, but the Tigers are not short on pieces. Dug McDaniel and Aaron Bradshaw return and are expected to carry major responsibilities, while Jayden Reid, a transfer from Northwestern, and Tylik Weeks, who played at Southern Miss last season, are among the new additions.
There’s reason to think Memphis will be better. The Tigers were picked to finish second in the AAC and received four first-place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll. They also went 2-1 in the preseason, beating Jacksonville State in a secret scrimmage and taking down Mississippi State 75-58 in an exhibition before falling to Arkansas.
That’s why Iowa State can’t afford to approach this one casually. Hardaway’s team has already shown enough to suggest it can make life difficult, and Otzelberger knows his group needs to be sharp from the start if it wants to open the year at 1-0.
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