Iowa State Basketball’s Top Three Performers in Non-Conference Play
Through the first ten games of the year, no one expected Iowa State to be 10-0 at this point in the year. Let alone half of those wins coming over five “Power Six” schools. Iowa State has seen this success because of the team effort as a whole. Watching these guys play you know it takes guys one through ten to have the success they have had. Nonetheless, there are three guys in particular who have contributed the most to their success, the “glue guys”. We’re going to take a peek at who those guys are.
Izaiah Brockington: This one is obviously a no-brainer. Brockington leads the team in points per game and rebounds per game. He’s averaging 16.6 ppg and 7.7 rpg. He’s shooting 50.8% and 47.8% from deep. In terms of scoring, Brockington is third in the Big 12 and also third in the conference in rebounding. His two most notable performances this year include a 29 & 10 game against Iowa and a 30 & 6 performance against Xavier.
Tyrese Hunter: Hunter has immediately lived up to the billing of being one of the nation’s best freshmen. 10 games into the season, he is averaging 11 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 5.2 apg. Not to mention he’s averaging over 2.4 steals a game. He’s been a huge part of this defensive resurgence. Iowa State fans haven’t seen defense like this since the days of Larry Eustachy and Tim Floyd. Hunter’s numbers make him good for second in the Big 12 in assists per game and leads the conference in steals per game. The best part about Hunter is you are seeing him grow more and more every game. This kid is already proving to be one of the best guards in the Big 12. There’s a case to be made that by the end of the year Hunter will be a first or second team All-Big 12 guard.
Alijaz Kunc: The Slovenian transfer from Washington State, better known as “Jazz”, has arguably been the most important piece of this team. Watching Kunc play he always makes the winning play. I’m making the call right now that Alijaz Kunc, wins Big 12 6th Man of the Year. Kunc is shooting nearly 60% from the field and 50% from deep. Kunc is averaging 7.3 ppg and pulling down 4.8 boards per game while coming off the bench. His most notable performance this year came against Grambling State when he went for 21 points on 7-7 shooting and 5-5 from deep while pulling down 7 rebounds.
