ISU hoops notes: Palo's cast comes off, sold out Hilton and Allen talks Murray State

AMES - Bubu Palo put up some shots before practice Thursday at the Sukup Basketball Complex.

They were the last ones the Iowa State point guard would hoist while wearing a cumbersome cast on his right hand and wrist.

"I get it off, actually, today," said Palo, a former walk-on who holds the distinction of being the only true point guard who's played significant minutes in the Cyclones' rotation.

Palo, who averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 assists in ISU's first 14 games, injured the wrist in the Dec. 31 win over Mississippi Valley State.

Doctors found a fractured bone after further examination and he's been cast-bound ever since.

"Hopefully I can play next Saturday against Oklahoma," Palo said.

Cyclone coach Fred Hoiberg calls Palo a stabilizing force off the bench, so his return will be welcomed.

"I think the big thing is getting range of motion back in that wrist so he can go out there and not be thinking about it," Hoiberg said. "Have the confidence to go out there and not have limitations. ... The big thing Bubu brings us is a great presence on the defensive end of the floor and a calming influence on the offensive end. So we're certainly excited to get him back. He gives us that element of a pressure defender, especially as a point guard, which we don't have right now."

Palo's been an out-of-uniform cheerleader for more than a month, but has liked what he's seen from his teammates, who are 17-7 overall, 7-4 in the Big 12 entering Saturday's 3 p.m. home game against Texas A&M.

"It's obviously been tough, but the fact that we've been winning makes it a lot easier," Palo said of sitting out. "They've been doing some great things and hopefully we can continue those things. When I come back, hopefully I can come back slowly and just try to keep helping the team out."

MAGIC ACT: For the third time this season, ISU will play in front of a sellout crowd at Hilton Coliseum in Saturday's game.

The Cyclones beat Iowa and then-No. 5 Kansas in the season's previous sellouts.

JUST SAYIN': Cyclone guard Chris Allen wasn't disrespecting ninth-ranked and previously unbeaten Murray State Thursday, which lost at home that night to Tennessee State.

He did say the Racers' 23 straight wins are impressive, but noted they don't play in a power conference.

"I'm not taking nothing away from them, but y'all know who they're playing in their conference (the Ohio Valley)," said Allen, who scored 22 points in ISU's Tuesday loss at Oklahoma State. "It's a difference when you've got to play against Kansas one week, then Texas Tech, then Texas A&M, then Baylor, then Missouri. It's a roller coaster."