Iowa State basketball: Three things to watch when Cyclones play Mississippi Valley State

Iowa State basketball is ready to begin its 2024-25 campaign, with its season-opener against visiting Mississippi Valley State on Monday night.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Hilton Coliseum. The game will also be available on ESPN+.

Here are three things to watch for Monday night’s game:

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Struggling Mississippi Valley State gets a fresh start

The Delta Devils no longer have Rayquan Brown, who averaged 18.3 points and 6.0 rebounds, in his final season before graduating.

They’ve also brought in plenty of new faces, with Donovan Sanders (10.5 points per game) and reserve Walter Hamilton (2.1 points per game) as their lone returners who played meaningful minutes from last year’s 1-30 finish.

Mississippi Valley State has struggled in recent years. The Delta Devils haven’t won more than nine games in a single season since the 2011-12 campaign, where they finished 21-13.

Since then, the Delta Devils are a combined 58-310 overall, and 48-165 in SWAC play. It’s safe to say victory is likely for the No. 6 Cyclones, who will look to shake the rust off in a tune-up game for the Maui Invitational later in November.

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First public glimpse of the Cyclones’ new frontcourt

Iowa State put in plenty of work in the transfer portal to replenish its frontcourt.

The Cyclones’ backcourt is already well-known, but how will the frontcourt look? Who starts? What will the rotation look like, at least early in the season?

Iowa State’s new frontcourt features the bruising Brandton Chatfield, a 6-foot-10 transfer that started for three seasons at Seattle, versatile 6-foot-9 forward Joshua Jefferson, who started last season at Saint Mary’s before suffering a season-ending injury, and 6-11 rim-runner Dishon Jackson, who averaged 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds at Charlotte last season and also played two years of solid minutes at Washington State.

Also keep an eye on 7-foot-1 center J.T. Rock, who has put on muscle mass and feels ready to contribute after a redshirt season. He enrolled a year early and got a head start on his collegiate career. He is only 18 years old but has a year of experience practicing and working in the Cyclones’ system, plus Division I-level strength and conditioning.

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Keep an eye on UNI transfer Nate Heise

Throughout preseason and at Iowa State men’s basketball media day, the Northern Iowa transfer gained widespread praise from his teammates as a newcomer to watch for his versatility and ability to do nearly everything from the guard position.

How will he fit in with this experienced backcourt and does he provide another weapon off the bench?

The 6-foot-5 guard started in 87 of the 91 games he played in at Northern Iowa. Last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game, while shooting 46.3% overall and 35.6% from long range. He earned third-team all-conference honors and led Northern Iowa in points and minutes played last year.

Depth will be a strength for the Cyclones this season, and it will be interesting to see how Heise fits in with this talented backcourt that also includes Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey and Curtis Jones.

Iowa State is expected to win by a large margin on Monday night, so there should be plenty of minutes to go around and time to experiment with different lineups.

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 3 things to watch in Iowa State basketball vs Mississippi Valley State