Headed for a whirlwind weekend

Good morning! Dick Vitale got an early Christmas present: The Hall of Fame broadcaster announced Thursday that he’s cancer free.

Gonna be tough to top that, but we’ll try with the rest of Thursday’s news.

1. Iowa State found its identity last vs. Iowa

Great teams know how to win in hostile environments. And if No. 3 Iowa State is truly one of the season’s great teams, Thursday night’s 89-80 win over in-state rival Iowa — it’s first at Iowa City since 2014 — is a great sign of what’s possible.

Because it was all Iowa for much of the game.

The Hawkeyes led by 13 in the first half, and maintained a 6-8 point edge until midway through the second half when Iowa State, in typical fashion, clawed their to a 66-66 tie with 7:44 remaining in the game.

By then, Iowa State's momentum was palpable. A 10-2 run during a pivotal two-minute stretch put the game firmly in the Cyclones' grasp, with the exclamation coming from Curtis Jones's 25-foot jumper.

Jones was phenomenal off the bench, scoring a team-high 23 points, while Joshua Jefferson was a consistent star throughout. His double double (19 points, 10 rebounds) was essential, as were his five free throws that helped the Cyclones (8-1) seal the win.

The Cyclones went 11-of-28 (39.3%) from beyond the arc, eight of which came in the second half. Their 1.24 points per possession marked the most against Iowa (7-3) since 2009. They needed it, too. The defense wasn’t its usual frenetic self.

Iowa State allowed 1.13 ppp, and the Hawkeyes’ spacing caused trouble. They finally seemed to solve that in the second half, holding Iowa to 14 points over the final 9:46.

"As much as I wish we would've dictated more with our defense early, I don't think we guarded the basketball in the first half — or more of the second half the way we want to defend the ball." Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger said. "You've gotta find ways to win in different ways. Certainly, I would prefer our defense set the tone throughout the course of the game, but we were fortunate that we came back to our identity in those final five minutes."

Iowa State has two buy games before it opens Big 12 play at Colorado on Dec. 30. Given their record and impressive overall play, they’re the conference favorites.

2. Hokies with a rare good win + more results

There were just 10 total games on Thursday (finals!), so this’ll be quick.

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