Kansas City @ Iowa State preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 9, 2014 ) UMKC 56, Iowa State 73

Iowa State certainly can't be accused of loading up with patsies in the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Cyclones take a break from the major conference foes for one game when they return home from the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas to host Missouri-Kansas City on Wednesday.

Iowa State went 1-2 in the Bahamas with single-digit losses to ranked Michigan and Seton Hall and a win over Alabama, and the Cyclones also played another major conference team, Oregon State, in the first week of the season. The Cyclones aren't done with the non-conference either, as they play Seton Hall again followed by the Hawkeyes in the battle for the state of Iowa after this one. In their latest contest, Rasir Bolton, a sophomore transfer from Penn State, scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Tyrese Haliburton added 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the arc, in the 84-76 loss to the Pirates on Friday. UMKC, ranked No. 249 by KenPom, has won four of its last five games, including a 68-67 victory against Western Illinois on Saturday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT UMKC (5-4): The Kangaroos jumped to an early 18-point advantage and held on over Western Illinois, as 6-foot guard Jahshire Hardnett (7.3 points) had 19 points, three 3-pointers and six rebounds. Javan White (team highs of 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks), a 6-10 senior center from Ames Iowa, added 12 points, 13 rebounds (seven offensive) and five assists. White spent three years at Oral Roberts and last season at Clemson, but the only year he really played was 2017-18 (10.2 points, 9.0 rebounds for ORU).

ABOUT IOWA STATE (4-3): Just a sophomore, Haliburton (15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds) has blossomed into one of the best players in the Big Ten, ranking among the national leaders in effective field-goal percentage (2- and 3-pointers, 60.4 percent) assists (8.9) and steals (3.0). Last season, Haliburton averaged 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 33 minutes. Bolton, who averaged 11.6 points per game in his one season with the Nittany Lions, is tossing in 14.6 points on 44 percent shooting but has converted only 25 percent from the arc (8-of-32).

TIP-INS

1.Despite one of the quickest paces in the game (73.3 possessions/40 minutes - 43rd nationally), the Cyclones turn the ball over on just 13.6 percent of possessions - fifth-best in Division I.

2. Bolton has scored 42 points on 14-of-24 shooting over his last two games, including 5-of-7 from the arc versus Alabama. He is 3-of-25 in the other six games.

3. In their only contest against a major conference team, the Kangaroos lost to Oklahoma State 69-51 on Nov. 9.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 83, UMKC 62