Iowa State Basketball Preview: We’re Talkin’ St. John’s

The Players Era Championship, a first-of-its-kind event that directly pays participating players a cut of the revenue from the tournament, kicks off today in Las Vegas as Iowa State and St. John’s meet in their first game of pool play. The Fighting Rick Pitinos Red Storm are 3-1 with wins over Qunnipiac, William & Mary, and Bucknell and a seven-point loss to Alabama. Ranked 16th on KenPom, they present by far the strongest test of the season so far for the Cyclones given Mississippi State’s colossal fall from grace after the beatdown in Sioux Falls at the hands of Otzelbasketbergerball.

Players to Watch

Senior Zuby Ejiofor is second on the team in scoring at averaging 15 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game on 62% shooting from the floor. He’ll be a handful down low on the boards for Iowa State to deal with alongside Dillon Mitchell, who leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game.

Ejiofor stands at 6’9” and 245 lbs, and is plenty strong enough to out-muscle down low if Iowa State isn’t making a concerted effort to box him out. St. John’s loves to find him underneath on quick dumps after a drive to the hoop or as the roller off a screen, so the Cyclones will need to keep their eyes peeled on the backside of their rotations to look for his cuts to the hoop. He is 2/4 from three-point range on the season, but he’s not a major threat from there in games against good opponents.

Pick 3

1 – Iowa State forces 18+ turnovers

2 – Josh Jefferson registers the first triple-double of the season.

3 – Milan Momcilovic starts cold from the floor, but eventually finishes with 5+ threes.

Prediction

St. John’s presents easily the strongest challenge to date for Iowa State, but KenPom and Vegas both currently predict Iowa State as a slight favorite heading into the matchup. St. John’s plays a physical man defense that would easily find itself at home in the Big 12, and will test the Cyclones’ young players’ ability to deal with that physicality.

Both teams are solid on both ends of the floor, with St. John’s coming in at 21st and 13th in offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively, and Iowa State coming in at 7th and 24th. Neither boasts any major weakness outside of Iowa State’s poor free-throw shooting early in the season, but of St. John’s relatively low turnover numbers, most of them have come by way of steals, which Iowa State obviously excels at.

Look for the Cyclones to rely on their stingy, aggressive defense to try to turn the Red Storm over and generate steals in transition, while Tamin Lipsey and Josh Jefferson run the show in the half-court and navigate St. John’s length.

Iowa State: 95

Stonehill: 56

Live Stats: Cyclonestats.com

The Matchup: Iowa State (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. St. John’s (3-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)

Where: Michelob Ultra Arena (12,000) – Las Vegas, Nev.

When: Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 – 3:30 p.m. CT

Watch: truTV // Brian Anderson (PxP), Grant Hill (Analyst) & Lauren Jbara (Sideline)

Listen: Cyclone Radio Network // John Walters (PxP) & Eric Heft (Analyst)