2015–16 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Steve Prohm, who was in his 1st season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa and competed in the Big 12 Conference.

2015–16 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball
Emerald Coast Classic champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 22
Record	23–12 (10–8 Big 12)
Head coach	Steve Prohm (1st season)
Assistant coaches	T. J. Otzelberger Daniyal Robinson William Small
Home arena	Hilton Coliseum
Seasons ← 2014–15 2016–17 →

2015–16 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 Kansas †	15	–	3		.833			33	–	5		.868
No. 8 West Virginia	13	–	5		.722			26	–	9		.743
No. 7 Oklahoma	12	–	6		.667			29	–	8		.784
Texas	11	–	7		.611			20	–	13		.606
No. 21 Baylor	10	–	8		.556			22	–	12		.647
No. 22 Iowa State	10	–	8		.556			23	–	12		.657
Texas Tech	9	–	9		.500			19	–	13		.594
Kansas State	5	–	13		.278			17	–	16		.515
Oklahoma State	3	–	15		.167			12	–	20		.375
TCU	2	–	16		.111			12	–	21		.364
† 2016 Big 12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll [1]

They finished the season 23–12 10–8 in Big 12 play to finish tied for 5th place. They lost to Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Iona and Little Rock to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Virginia.

Previous season

Iowa State finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in Big 12 play to finish in second place. They defeated Texas,^[2] Oklahoma,^[3] and Kansas to become champions of the Big 12 Conference tournament to earn and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.^[4] In the NCAA Tournament they were upset by UAB in the second round.^[5]

After months of speculation, it was announced on June 2, 2015, that Fred Hoiberg would be accepting the head coach position with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.^[6]

On June 8, 2015, it was announced that Iowa State would be hiring Murray State head coach Steve Prohm for the same position.^[7]

Offseason departures

Offseason Departures

Name	Position	Reason
Bryce Dejean-Jones	Guard	Graduated
Dustin Hogue	Forward	Graduated
Daniel Edozie	Forward	Graduated
Sherron Dorsey-Walker	Guard	Transferred to Oakland
Kourtlin Jackson	Guard	Transferred to Southern Miss
Clayton Custer	Guard	Transferred to Loyola Chicago
Daniel Stensland	Guard	Left basketball team
Georgios Tsalmpouris	Center	Left to play professionally in the Greek Basketball League
Reference:[8]

Recruiting

Prep recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Nick Noskowiak PG	Sun Prairie, Wisconsin	Sun Prairie	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Apr 26, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Brady Ernst PF	Clinton, Iowa	Clinton	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jun 25, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Simeon Carter PF	Charlotte, North Carolina	West Charlotte	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 6, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 75
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Iowa State 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017. "2015 Iowa State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017.

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers

Name	Position	Hometown	Previous School	Remaining Eligibility	Notes
Jordan Ashton	Guard	Mount Pleasant, Iowa	Kirkwood CC	2	Ashton was eligible to play immediately.
Nick Weiler-Babb	Guard	Arlington, Texas	Arkansas	3	Weiler-Babb sat out the 2015–16 season due to NCAA eligibility rules.
Reference:[9]

Roster

2015–16 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 00 Simeon Carter 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr West Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina C 1 Jameel McKay 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Pulaski Indian Hills CC Marquette Milwaukee F 2 Abdel Nader 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Niles North Northern Illinois Skokie, Illinois G 3 Hallice Cooke 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So St. Anthony Oregon State Union City, New Jersey G 4 Wesley Greder (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Gilbert High School Gilbert, Iowa G 11 Monté Morris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Beecher Flint, Michigan G 14 Nick Weiler-Babb  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So James Martin Arkansas Arlington, Texas G 15 Naz Long  (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Findlay Prep Mississauga, Ontario G 21 Matt Thomas 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 197 lb (89 kg) Jr Onalaska Onalaska, Wisconsin G 23 Jordan Ashton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Mount Pleasant Northwest Missouri State Kirkwood CC Mount Pleasant, Iowa C 24 Stuart Nezlek (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Fenwick Oak Park, Illinois G 30 Deonte Burton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Jr Vincent Marquette Milwaukee F 31 Georges Niang (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Tilton School Methuen, Massachusetts PF 33 Brady Ernst   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Fr Clinton Clinton, Iowa	Head coach Steve Prohm (Iowa State) Assistant coach(es) T. J. Otzelberger William Small Daniyal Robinson Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 6, 2015* 7:00 pm, Cyclones.tv	No. 7	Grand Valley State	W 106–60		20 – Mitrou-Long	11 – McKay	8 – Thomas	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
Regular season
November 13, 2015* 4:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 7	vs. Colorado	W 68–62	1–0	17 – Niang	10 – McKay	4 – Morris	Sanford Pentagon (3,200) Sioux Falls, South Dakota
November 16, 2015* 7:00 pm, Cyclones.tv	No. 7	Chicago State Emerald Coast Classic	W 106–64	2–0	25 – McKay	11 – Tied	8 – Tied	Hilton Coliseum (14,111) Ames, Iowa
November 23, 2015* 7:00 pm, Cyclones.tv	No. 4	Chattanooga Emerald Coast Classic	W 83–63	3–0	24 – Mitrou-Long	17 – McKay	10 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (13,305) Ames, Iowa
November 27, 2015* 6:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 4	vs. Virginia Tech Emerald Coast Classic Semifinals	W 99–77	4–0	23 – McKay	11 – Nader	7 – Morris	The Arena (2,222) Niceville, Florida
November 28, 2015* 6:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 4	vs. Illinois Emerald Coast Classic Championship	W 84–73	5–0	23 – Niang	9 – Morris	6 – Morris	The Arena (2,222) Niceville, Florida
December 1, 2015* 7:00 pm, Cyclones.tv	No. 5	North Dakota State	W 84–64	6–0	21 – Nader	19 – McKay	6 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,272) Ames, Iowa
December 7, 2015* 8:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 4	Buffalo	W 84–63	7–0	31 – Niang	12 – Niang	10 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,130) Ames, Iowa
December 11, 2015* 6:30 pm, ESPN2	No. 4	Iowa Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series	W 83–82	8–0	20 – Tied	12 – McKay	9 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
December 13, 2015* 5:00 pm, Cyclones.tv	No. 4	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 78–64	9–0	18 – McKay	8 – McKay	11 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,284) Ames, Iowa
December 19, 2015* 6:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 5	vs. Northern Iowa Big Four Classic	L 79–81	9–1	30 – Niang	7 – Nader	6 – Morris	Wells Fargo Arena  Des Moines, Iowa
December 22, 2015* 6:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 11	at No. 22 Cincinnati	W 81–79	10–1	24 – Niang	10 – Niang	7 – Morris	Fifth Third Arena (13,176) Cincinnati
December 30, 2015* 7:00 pm, Cyclones.tv	No. 11	Coppin State	W 104–84	11–1	21 – Nader	9 – Niang	11 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
January 2, 2016 6:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 11	at No. 3 Oklahoma	L 83–87	11–2 (0–1)	29 – Niang	9 – McKay	3 – Morris	Lloyd Noble Center (11,251) Norman, Oklahoma
January 6, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 13	Texas Tech	W 76–69	12–2 (1–1)	19 – McKay	14 – McKay	6 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
January 9, 2016 2:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	Baylor	L 89–94	12–3 (1–2)	22 – Niang	8 – Nader	6 – Niang	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
January 12, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 17	at Texas	L 91–94 OT	12–4 (1–3)	27 – Niang	16 – Nader	7 – Morris	Frank Erwin Center (10,663) Austin, Texas
January 16, 2016 3:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 17	at Kansas State	W 76–63	13–4 (2–3)	19 – Morris	6 – 3 tied	4 – Morris	Bramlage Coliseum (12,462) Manhattan, Kansas
January 18, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN	No. 19	No. 1 Oklahoma	W 82–77	14–4 (3–3)	22 – Niang	13 – McKay	3 – Tied	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
January 23, 2016 3:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 19	at TCU	W 73–60	15–4 (4–3)	18 – Morris	10 – McKay	6 – Morris	Schollmaier Arena (6,014) Fort Worth, Texas
January 25, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN	No. 14	No. 4 Kansas	W 85–72	16–4 (5–3)	21 – Morris	5 – Tied	9 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
January 30, 2016* 1:00 pm, ESPN	No. 14	at No. 5 Texas A&M Big 12/SEC Challenge	L 62–72	16–5	15 – Niang	14 – McKay	6 – Morris	Reed Arena (12,473) College Station, Texas
February 2, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	No. 14 West Virginia	L 76–81	16–6 (5–4)	20 – Niang	6 – Burton	10 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
February 6, 2016 1:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	at Oklahoma State	W 64–59	17–6 (6–4)	18 – Niang	9 – Niang	8 – Morris	Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,561) Stillwater, Oklahoma
February 10, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 14	at Texas Tech	L 82–85 OT	17–7 (6–5)	20 – Burton	9 – Niang	9 – Morris	United Supermarkets Arena (6,715) Lubbock, Texas
February 13, 2016 7:30 pm, ESPN	No. 14	No. 24 Texas	W 85–75	18–7 (7–5)	24 – Morris	8 – Nader	3 – Tied	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
February 16, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	at No. 25 Baylor	L 91–100 OT	18–8 (7–6)	26 – Niang	8 – Niang	11 – Morris	Ferrell Center (5,556) Waco, Texas
February 20, 2016 6:30 pm, ESPNU	No. 13	TCU	W 92–83	19–8 (8–6)	27 – Niang	14 – Burton	11 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
February 22, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN	No. 17	at No. 14 West Virginia	L 87–97	19–9 (8–7)	23 – Nader	5 – Tied	5 – Niang	WVU Coliseum (10,683) Morgantown, West Virginia
February 27, 2016 5:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 17	Kansas State	W 80–61	20–9 (9–7)	20 – Thomas	17 – McKay	8 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, Iowa
February 29, 2016 6:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 21	Oklahoma State	W 58–50	21–9 (10–7)	19 – Nader	10 – Tied	6 – Morris	Hilton Coliseum (14,383) Ames, Iowa
March 5, 2016 3:00 pm, ESPN	No. 21	at No. 1 Kansas	L 78–85	21–10 (10–8)	22 – Niang	9 – McKay	5 – Niang	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
Big 12 Tournament
03/10/2016 8:00 pm, ESPNU	(6) No. 21	vs. (3) No. 6 Oklahoma Quarterfinals	L 76–79	21–11	31 – Niang	9 – Tied	5 – Niang	Sprint Center (18,972) Kansas City, Missouri
NCAA Tournament
03/17/2016* 1:00 pm, TBS	(4 MW) No. 22	vs. (13 MW) Iona First round	W 94–81	22–11	28 – Niang	9 – McKay	8 – Morris	Pepsi Center (19,499) Denver, Colorado
03/19/2016* 5:10 pm, TBS	(4 MW) No. 22	vs. (12 MW) Little Rock Second round	W 78–61	23–11	28 – Niang	10 – McKay	4 – Tied	Pepsi Center (19,551) Denver, Colorado
03/25/2016* 6:10 pm, CBS	(4 MW) No. 22	vs. (1 MW) No. 4 Virginia Sweet Sixteen	L 71–84	23–12	30 – Niang	8 – Niang	8 – Morris	United Center (21,490) Chicago
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

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]	7	7	7	4	5	4	5	11	11	13	17	19	14	13	14	13	17	21	21	22
Coaches Poll[10]	7	7	7	5	4	2	2	9	9	14	18	21	16	14	15	15	17	20	19	19	15

Awards and honors

All-Americans[11] Georges Niang (2nd Team) Senior CLASS All-American[11] Georges Niang Big 12 Newcomer of the Year[12] Deonte Burton Academic All-Big 12 First Team[13] Matt Thomas (basketball)

All-Conference Selections[11] Georges Niang (1st Team) Monté Morris (1st Team) Jameel McKay (Honorable Mention) Abdel Nader (Honorable Mention) Matt Thomas (Honorable Mention)

Big 12 Player of the Week[12] Monté Morris (November 29) Jameel McKay (December 13) Monté Morris (January 24)

References

1. "2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 26–30. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
2. "Texas vs. Iowa State - Game Recap - March 12, 2015 - ESPN".
3. "Oklahoma vs. Iowa State - Game Recap - March 13, 2015 - ESPN".
4. "Iowa State vs. Kansas - Game Recap - March 14, 2015 - ESPN".
5. "UAB vs. Iowa State - Game Recap - March 19, 2015 - ESPN".
6. "Iowa State moving forward after Hoiberg leaves for Bulls". The Gazette.
7. "Prohm Named Iowa State Head Men's Basketball Coach".
8. "2007-08 Basketball (M) Roster - Iowa State Athletics".
9. "2010-11 Basketball (M) Roster - Iowa State Athletics".
10. "2012-13 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
11. "Men's Basketball Traditions" (PDF). cyclones.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
12. "2013 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards Announced". Big12.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
13. "Academic All-Big 12 Announcement" (PDF). big12sports.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017.