1996–97 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Tim Floyd, who was in his 3rd season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa and is an original member of the newly created Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 conference was formed by the eight teams of the recently dissolved Big Eight Conference and was joined by Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, all formally of the Southwest Conference which had also dissolved following the 1995–1996 school year.^[2]

1996–97 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball
1997 NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 13
AP	No. 18
Record	22–9 (10–6 Big 12)
Head coach	Tim Floyd (3rd season)
Assistant coach	Steve Krafcisin
Home arena	Hilton Coliseum
Seasons ← 1995–96 1997–98 →

1996–97 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 Kansas †	15	–	1		.938			34	–	2		.944
No. 24 Colorado	11	–	5		.688			22	–	10		.688
Texas	10	–	6		.625			18	–	12		.600
No. 18 Iowa State	10	–	6		.625			22	–	9		.710
Texas Tech	10	–	6		.625			19	–	9		.679
Oklahoma	9	–	7		.563			19	–	11		.633
Nebraska	7	–	9		.438			18	–	15		.545
Oklahoma State	7	–	9		.438			17	–	15		.531
Baylor	6	–	10		.375			18	–	12		.600
Missouri	5	–	11		.313			16	–	17		.485
Texas A&M	3	–	13		.188			9	–	18		.333
Kansas State	3	–	13		.188			10	–	17		.370
† 1997 Big 12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll ^[1]

They finished the season 22–9 and 10–6 in conference play to finish tied for third place. They defeated Texas Tech and lost to Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Illinois State and Cincinnati to reach the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to UCLA in overtime.^[3]

Previous season

The previous season the Cyclones finished the season 24–9, 9–5 in Big Eight play to finish in 2nd place. They defeated Nebraska, Missouri, and #5 Kansas to win the 1996 Big Eight conference tournament championship.^[4] This was Iowa State's first conference championship in program history. The conference championship earned them a bid to the NCAA tournament and a #5 seed. In the tournament they defeated Cal and lost to Utah in the round of 32.^[5]

It was the Cyclones final season in the Big Eight Conference, which dissolved at the end of the 1995–1996 school year.

The Cyclones saw individual success with Dedric Willoughby being names All-American honorable mention, first team All-Big Eight, and Big Eight tournament MVP. Tim Floyd was named Big Eight Coach of the Year and was runner up for AP Coach of the Year.^[6]

Preseason

Preseason poll Preseason Poll Finish School 1 Kansas 2 Texas 3 Iowa State 4 Oklahoma State 5 Missouri 6 Texas Tech 7 Oklahoma 8 Nebraska 9 Kansas State 10 Texas A&M 11 Colorado 12 Baylor Reference:^[7]

Incoming players Incoming Players Name Position Height Weight Previous School Hometown Brad Johnson Guard 6'5" 200 lbs. Indian Hills CC Geneseo, IL Jason Teeter Guard 6'5" 180 lbs. Algona High Algona, IA Paul Shirley Forward 6'9" 230 lbs. Jefferson West Meriden, KS Russ Schoenauer Forward 6'9" 235 lbs. Waukee Waukee, IA DeAndre Harris Guard 6'0" 190 lbs. Marshalltown CC Milwaukee, WI Reference:^[8]

Roster

1996–97 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 3 Matt Knoll 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr East Marshall Gilman, IA G 4 Brad Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Indian Hills CC Geneseo, IL G 10 Jacy Holloway 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Moundridge High McPherson, KS G 11 DeAndre Harris 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Marshalltown CC Milwaukee, WI C 13 Kelvin Cato 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Sr South Alabama Lithonia, GA G 22 Dedric Willoughby 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr New Orleans New Orleans, LA F 23 Stevie Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Perry Central Beaumont, MS F 31 Shawn Bankhead 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Southern Idaho CC Pacoima, CA G 32 Ha-Keem Abdel-Khaliq (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Kansas City, KS G 33 Jason Teeter 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Algona High Algona, IA F 40 Klay Edwards 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Winfield-Mt. Union Morning Sun, IA F 42 Kenny Pratt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Eastern Utah JC Chicago, IL F 45 Paul Shirley (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Jefferson West Meriden, KS F 52 Russ Schoenauer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Waukee Waukee, IA C 55 Tony Rampton 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Waseca New Plymouth, NZ	Head coach Tim Floyd (Louisiana Tech) Assistant coach(es) Steve Krafcisin (Iowa) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Exhibition
November 13, 1996 7:00 pm		World Basketball Opportunities (Wisconsin) Exhibition	W 91-84		Hilton Coliseum  Ames, IA
November 19, 1996* 7:00 pm		Adelaide 36ers (Australia) Exhibition	L 66-86		Hilton Coliseum  Ames, IA
Regular Season
November 26, 1996* 7:00 pm	No. 9	Alcorn State	W 87–58	1–0	Hilton Coliseum (7,025) Ames, IA
December 1, 1996* 1:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 9	Maryland-Eastern Shore	W 82–62	2–0	Hilton Coliseum (8,920) Ames, IA
December 5, 1996* 8:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 9	Tennessee-Martin Cyclone Challenge	W 57–36	3–0	Hilton Coliseum (11,722) Ames, IA
December 6, 1996* 8:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 9	Siena Cyclone Challenge	W 64–54	4–0	Hilton Coliseum (12,601) Ames, IA
December 11, 1996* 7:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 6	Drake Iowa Big Four	W 74–50	5–0	Hilton Coliseum (12,950) Ames, IA
December 14, 1996* 7:05 pm, HTN	No. 6	Iowa Rivalry	W 81–74	6–0	Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500) Iowa City, IA
December 21, 1996* 8:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 5	East Tennessee State ISU Holiday Classic	W 77–49	7–0	Hilton Coliseum (12,135) Ames, IA
December 22, 1996* 8:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 5	UTEP ISU Holiday Classic	W 59–48	8–0	Hilton Coliseum (12,115) Ames, IA
December 30, 1996* 8:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 5	Texas-Pan American	W 66–42	9–0	Hilton Coliseum (12,105) Ames, IA
January 4, 1997 3:00 pm, Creative Sports	No. 4	Missouri	W 68–65	10–0 (1–0)	Hearnes Center (13,300) Columbia, MO
January 7, 1997* 7:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 4	Marquette	L 64–67	10–1	Hilton Coliseum (11,210) Ames, IA
January 11, 1997 12:45 pm, Creative Sports	No. 4	Oklahoma	W 82–55	11–1 (2–0)	Hilton Coliseum (13,755) Ames, IA
January 13, 1997 8:30 pm, ESPN	No. 4	at No. 1 Kansas	L 67–80	11–2 (2–1)	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
January 18, 1997 12:45 pm, Creative Sports	No. 8	at Colorado	L 45–70	11–3 (2–2)	Coors Events Center (8,278) Boulder, CO
January 22, 1997 7:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 14	Kansas State	W 54–48	12–3 (3–2)	Hilton Coliseum (12,098) Ames, IA
January 25, 1997 3:00 pm, Creative Sports	No. 14	No. 20 Texas Tech	W 64–61	13–3 (4–2)	Hilton Coliseum (14,021) Ames, IA
January 29, 1997 7:05 pm	No. 11	at Nebraska	W 77–67	14–3 (5–2)	Bob Devaney Center (13,623) Lincoln, NE
February 1, 1997 7:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 11	at Texas A&M	W 71–57	15–3 (6–2)	Reed Arena (5,501) College Station, TX
February 5, 1997 7:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 6	Baylor	W 61–52	16–3 (7–2)	Hilton Coliseum (10,706) Ames, IA
February 9, 1997 2:00 pm, CBS	No. 6	No. 1 Kansas	L 62–69	16–4 (7–3)	Hilton Coliseum (14,325) Ames, IA
February 12, 1997 7:00 pm	No. 9	Missouri	W 87–59	17–4 (8–3)	Hilton Coliseum (13,866) Ames, IA
February 15, 1997 12:45 pm, Creative Sports	No. 9	at Kansas State	W 62–58	18–4 (9–3)	Bramlage Coliseum (10,763) Manhattan, KS
February 19, 1997 8:00 pm, Creative Sports	No. 7	at Texas	L 56–57	18–5 (9–4)	Frank Erwin Center (16,175) Austin, TX
February 22, 1997 12:45 pm, Creative Sports	No. 7	Nebraska	L 69–74 ^OT	18–6 (9–5)	Hilton Coliseum (14,322) Ames, IA
February 26, 1997 7:00 pm, Cyclone Television Network	No. 13	No. 19 Colorado	W 65–54	19–6 (10–5)	Hilton Coliseum (14,020) Ames, IA
March 1, 1997 8:30 pm, ESPN	No. 13	at Oklahoma State	L 63-67	19–7 (10–6)	Gallagher-Iba Arena (5,915) Stillwater, OK
Big 12 Tournament
March 7, 1997 2:20 pm, Creative Sports	No. 16	vs. Texas Tech Quarterfinals	W 72–70	20–7	Kemper Arena (18,800) Kansas City, MO
March 8, 1997 1:00 pm, Creative Sports	No. 16	vs. No. 1 Kansas Semifinals	L 48–72	20–8	Kemper Arena (19,310) Kansas City, MO
NCAA Tournament
March 13, 1997 1:45 pm, CBS	(#6 W) No. 18	vs. (#11 W) Illinois State First Round	W 69–57	21–8	The Palace of Auburn Hills (21,020) Auburn Hills, MI
March 15, 1997 3:40 pm, CBS	(#6 W) No. 18	vs. (#3 W) No. 10 Cincinnati Second Round	W 67–66	22–8	The Palace of Auburn Hills (21,020) Auburn Hills, MI
March 20, 1997 9:25 pm, CBS	(#6 W) No. 18	vs. (#2 W) No. 7 UCLA Sweet Sixteen	L 73–74 ^OT	22–9	Alamodome (29,231) San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

During weeks eight and nine of the regular season the Cyclones were ranked #4 in the AP Poll. This was the highest ranking the Cyclones had reached since the 1956–57 season when they were ranked #3. This was also the first time in school history the Cyclones were ranked in the top 25 of both the AP and Coaches Poll every week of the season.^[9]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP Poll^[10]	11	11	11	11	9	9	6	5	5	4	4	8	14	11	6	9	7	13	16	18	Not released
Coaches Poll^[10]	11	11	11	11	15	15	12	5	5	4	4	5	12	12	13	9	8	12	15	17	13

Awards and honors

All-Americans^[6] Dedric Willoughby (2nd Team) NCAA Tournament All-Regional Team^[6] Dedric Willoughby Ralph A. Olsen Award^[6] Dedric Willoughby

All-Big 12 Selections^[7] Dedric Willoughby (First Team) Kelvin Cato (Third Team) Kenny Pratt (Third Team) Academic All-Big 12^[7] Ha-Keem Abdel-Khaliq (First Team) Klay Edwards (First Team) Jason Teeter (First Team) Paul Shirley (Second Team) Tony Rampton (Second Team) Stevie Johnson (Second Team) Matthew Knoll (Second Team)

References

1. 2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 26–30. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
2. "The oral history of the birth of the Big 12". Si.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
3. "Dollar rallies UCLA from 16 points down to oust Iowa State". The Baltimore Sun. March 20, 1997. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
4. . Bigeightsports.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
5. "1995-96 Iowa State Cyclones Schedule and Results - College Basketball". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
6. "Men's Basketball Traditions" (PDF). Cyclones.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
7. "2008-09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Big12sports.com. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
8. "1996-97 Iowa State Cyclones Roster and Stats - College Basketball". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
9. "Iowa State Cyclones AP Poll History - College Basketball". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
10. . ESPN. ESPN. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2017.