Palo drives the point home for Cyclones

AMES - Iowa State guard Bubu Palo's breakout game against Iowa greatly impressed outside observers.

The walk-on from Ames notched career highs in points (14) and minutes played (30) in the Cyclones' 86-76 Cy-Hawk Series win on Dec. 9 at home.

“To contribute like I did, that means a lot to some people,” said Palo, who hopes to provide another spark in Sunday's 1 p.m. game against Central Michigan at Hilton Coliseum.

But what about him?

“It means a lot, obviously, growing up in Ames and seeing the Cy-Hawk rivalry and being in here for games like this,” Palo said. “But to finally be a part of it and to contribute - it just means a lot.”

Palo played five minutes in last year's win over Iowa, missing his only shot and tallying two fouls.

What a difference a year makes.

“We all knew it was just a matter of time before his number was called,” said fellow Cyclones guard Chris Babb, who has scored in double figures in six straight games. “Fortunately it was a big game against Iowa like that and he was able to come out and perform.”

Palo's proficiency at the point is sorely needed.

Scott Christopherson is back to shooting guard and Chris Allen is the only other traditional set-starter - and he's a former No. 2, as well.

“He's tough to guard off the bounce,” ISU forward and leading scorer Royce White said of Palo. “He's crafty.”

All the Cyclones have been honing their basic skills sets during finals week.

Sunday will be their first game in nine days.

“A lot of toughness drills, a lot of defensive drills, a lot of rebounding drills,” Babb said to summarize stresses in practice.

Crafting a consistent defensive effort remains a paramount concern for ISU (7-3), which  hopes to slow hot-shooting Trey Zeigler and others for the Chippewas (5-5).

“I think the big thing is just having each other's back,” Hoiberg said. “If you're going to be a good defensive unit all five guys have to be on the same page. All it takes is one guy to be out of position and you're going to get burned.”

Palo improved his position greatly against Iowa.

And that means a lot - to him, his teammates and coaches, as well as fans.

“If we really want to win in the Big 12, we're going to have to be there for 40 minutes, hard,” Palo said. “You've just got to go out there and play with full effort, because we're not going to be the most talented team every night like we are when we play these mid-major teams.”