The Iowa Hawkeyes, ranked 23rd in the country will travel within the state of Iowa to face their rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones, who are ranked 17th. The game will be live streamed over ESPNU.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery's solution to having 10 guys who can play has been to play them all.
It has made the 23rd-ranked Hawkeyes one of the deepest and most dangerous teams in the country.
Iowa's rotation is the envy of opponents everywhere. The Hawkeyes have 10 players averaging at least 15 minutes per game, and they're getting nearly half of their Big Ten-best scoring average from their backups.
Iowa's experienced and athletic reserves have allowed the Hawkeyes to push the tempo whenever they want.
They rank fourth nationally with a scoring margin of plus-24.6 a game heading into Friday night's showdown at No. 17 Iowa State (7-0), with the teams meeting for only the second time in history as ranked squads.
"The thing that they're great at is transition offense. They really get out and run," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said of the Hawkeyes. "They're great on the glass as well. Those are going to be two huge keys for us, is getting back in transition and trying to slow them down and limit them to one shot, which is easier said than done."
Iowa's exceptional bench numbers have been boosted by its six wins of at least 30 points, which has allowed its reserves to play extensive minutes.
That could be an issue for Iowa State, whose rotation isn't much deeper than seven players.
"They run a very good press (defense) to slow you down and they mix up their defenses exceptionally well," Hoiberg said.
Though Hoiberg's team lacks the Hawkeyes' depth, the Cyclones should provide a major test for that defense. Iowa State ranks second in the country with 91.7 points per game. Seven Cyclones are averaging more than seven points, and the squad has averaged 97.5 in the last four games.
Iowa is seventh in the nation at 89.5 points per game.
This game also pits two of the top rebounding teams in the country, with Iowa State fourth at 46.3 per game and Iowa fifth at 46.0.
"Great teams find a way to win games like this," Hoiberg said.
Iowa ended a three-game losing streak in the series with an 80-71 home victory last Dec. 7. Iowa State, though, has won the last five meetings at Ames.
The Hawkeyes were ranked seventh and the Cyclones 20th when they met Dec. 19, 1987, with Iowa State winning 102-100 in overtime at home. Roy Marble, the father of current Iowa starting guard Roy Marble, scored 13 points for the Hawkeyes.
