Iowa State will be without its top scorers Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert in Saturday’s matchup against Houston. Jones is dealing with an illness, while Gilbert has a muscle strain. The Cyclones have struggled significantly when both players are off the court, having played just 30 minutes this season as a team.
Despite being short-handed, Iowa State has won four consecutive games since Milan Momcilovic returned from injury. Coach T.J. Otzelberger is expected to rely on former Northern Iowa transfer Nate Heise in the backcourt. Heise had a strong performance against Colorado, scoring two 3s and finishing with 11 points.
However, the Cyclones’ lack of perimeter depth will be exposed Saturday, potentially forcing preferred walk-on Cade Kelderman into more significant minutes. The stakes are high, as a Houston win would give them a two-game lead in the Big 12 title race and move them to 15-1 in conference play.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/43958261/iowa-state-basketball-leading-scorers-curtis-jones-keshon-gilbert-vs-houston