Purdue Fort Wayne @ Iowa State preview

Iowa State and its new fast-paced style of offense has had 10 long days to think about getting thumped by in-state rival Iowa. With the Big 12 schedule set to begin after the New Year, the Cyclones have two non-conference games left to get prepared, starting with Sunday's home game against Purdue Fort Wayne.

Iowa State averaged 67.7 possessions per 40 minutes last season, but coach Steve Prohm has that number up to 73.7 possessions this season - the 31st-quickest pace in the nation. “I think we need it for us to be good offensively,” Prohm said. “We don’t need to get stuck in the halfcourt. We need to play off misses. We need to play with great pace. We need to change side of the floor. The faster pace didn't help much in the 84-68 loss to Iowa, as the Cyclones shot just 34.4 percent in the first half and trailed by 15 at the break. Purdue Fort Wayne, which has played just one major conference team this year, an 85-46 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 22, dropped a 74-65 decision at IUPUI on Dec. 14 despite 17 points, four rebounds and four assists from DeMierre Black.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT PURDUE FORT WAYNE (7-7): Sophomore guard Jarred Godfrey is sixth in the Summit League in scoring (15.8), fourth in total assists (49) and first in minutes per game (33.5). In addition, he leads the team in 3-pointers (26), steals (13) free throws (33) and free throw attempts (47), and he is three rebounds away from leading the team in that stat (64). Junior guard Brian Patrick averages 12.8 points and 6-11 junior Dylan Carl adds 7.7 points and a team-high 4.8 rebounds, and he ranks ninth on the school's all-time blocks list with 72.

ABOUT IOWA STATE (6-4): Tyrese Haliburton (16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists) scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting versus the Hawkeyes - his third 20-point game this season - and also pulled down five rebounds and handed out a game-high five assists. Speed hasn’t helped the 3-point shooting, as the Cyclones shoot just 29 percent from the arc - 306th in the nation - compared to 56 percent inside it - 18th. “We still have to take good shots,” Prohm said. “A perfect example, we finally get (the deficit) to six or seven against Iowa. They come down, we didn’t guard, they hit a three. We come down, we shoot a quick three - it was an open three, but was it the best three in that situation?”

TIP-INS

1. Iowa State and Purdue Fort Wayne are meeting for the second time. The Cyclones own a 1-0 edge in the series, having defeated the Mastodons 78-51 in 2003.

2. Iowa State 6-10 sophomore George Conditt IV is averaging 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and three blocks per game off the bench in 17.8 minutes per game. He ranks fifth in the nation in block percentage (16.8) and 43rd in offensive rebound percentage (14.4) - third in the Big 12.

3. Haliburton is accounting for 43 percent of Iowa State's scoring this season (points and points assisted on), while his usage rate is just third highest on the team.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 87, Purdue Fort Wayne 61