By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
Iowa State will finally reach full strength when Jameel McKay becomes eligible for Saturday’s game against Drake.
A 6-9 center, McKay transferred from Marquette in 2013. He never played there and has had to sit out 18 months due to NCAA transfer rules. He was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Indian Hills Community College (Marshalltown, Iowa).
Depending on how McKay blends into the lineup, he could be a shot blocker and rebounder as Iowa State’s center and play alongside forwards Georges Niang and Dustin Hogue. McKay could be something that the Cyclones have during the Fred Hoiberg Era – a rim protector.
''I think we need to be a little patient with him because he's been out for a year and a half. But he's one of those kids that will impact the game with his energy,'' Hoiberg said.
Williams Providing Steady Play
Kansas State has had an up and down season thus far. The Wildcats have a mixture of newcomers and veterans that has yet to jell. However, senior Nino Williams is proving to be a reliable contributor.
“He has been our best player,’’ K-State Bruce Weber said Sunday. “He plays happy, comes to practice and plays with great energy. He’s playing like a senior should. He’s doing what you’re supposed to do in a program: Get better every year; figure out your role, accept it, take pride in it, execute it. That’s what he’s doing right now.”
Williams tied his career high with 20 point Sunday as Kansas State defeated Savannah State, 73-53. In two victories last week, he had 34 points and 19 rebounds and was named the Big 12 Conference player of the week for the first time in his career.
Injury Updates
Iowa State sophomore guard Jada Buckley was sidelined for Sunday’s victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. She has a “stress injury” in her foot that will probably sideline her for a week. “They feel like they got it at a good time, and hopefully after these 10, 14 days of rest, she’ll be ready to go,” Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly said Sunday. Buckley had started all seven games before sitting out Sunday and averages 9.7 points per game.
Kansas freshman Devonte Graham, the team’s backup point guard, is expected to miss the next three to four weeks with a two injury. “We hope we can get him back,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “There’s no guarantee he’s going to come back, though. We’ll play it by ear and evaluate him again in four weeks.” Sophomore Frank Mason is KU’s only other scholarship point guard.
Notable Numbers
* Big 12 men’s basketball has the nation’s best record (78-13), an .857 winning percentage. Eight teams in the Big 12 have an .875 winning percentage or better. The next closest conference has five (the ACC).
* The Big 12 has a 17-game winning streak through Sunday’s games. The league has road wins over the Big Ten, Big East and American Athletic Conference (twice) in that span, and home victories over the SEC and a ranked Pac-12 squad. The Big 12 is rated as the No. 1 conference in the RPI. Six teams are ranked in the top 35, with nine among the top 92.
* Oklahoma has held all eight opponents to sub-44-percent field goal shooting (six opponents have shot 40 percent or below). OU has held seven of eight foes to 33-percent-or-less 3-point shooting. The Sooners’ opponents are averaging 62.1 points a game while shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 27.9 percent on 3-pointers. Through eight games last year, opponents averaged 76.4 points on .428 field goal and .315 3-point shooting.
* Baylor sophomore Nina Davis over the last four games is averaging 32 points and making 46 of 59 shots – that’s 77.9 percent - over the last four games. “I am playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Davis said. “I know my team needs me to score every night so I come in with a mindset that my team needs me.”
* In his last three games, Iowa State’s Bryce DeJean-Jones has scored 67 points on 30 shots, making 23 of 30 field goal tries including 6-of-9 from three-point range.
* Depth and defense have contributed to Oklahoma State’s 8-1 start. The Cowboys have 10 players averaging 12 or more minutes per game and they rank in the top 20 nationally in steals per game, field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounds per game.
* Credit Kansas State senior Thomas Gipson with a milestone. His basket with 3:01 remaining in Sunday’s game was the 500,000th point in Big 12 Conference history.
* Texas held Texas State to 27 points on 21.6 percent shooting Saturday. It was the fewest points allowed by the Longhorns since Dec. 6, 1946 (a 53-23 home win against Houston YMCA). UT opponents are averaging 50.9 points per game and shooting 30.6 percent.
End Quote
TCU coach Trent Johnson on his team’s school-record 10-0 start:
"All 10-0 means is you have another game and day at practice. I'm a realist here. You know who my guys' biggest fans are? My wife and my family, because if we can go into Christmas with a good feeling, the Johnson family has a good Christmas. The last time they had a really, really good Christmas where their dad or husband relaxed was when we beat Kansas when I was at Nevada (Dec. 21, 2003)."