Defense will be key against fast-paced Missouri

AMES - Iowa State fans are well aware of the triumphs and travails of Chris Babb the shooter.

He drilled eight 3-pointers in a row early this season, one short of a team record.

He languished under a 7-for-40 long range slump until breaking out of it just in time to open Big 12 play against Texas.

But Babb's much more than the sum of his shots.

As he and the Cyclones (12-3, 2-0 Big 12) prepare for Wednesday's key 7 p.m. conference matchup with No. 9 Missouri (14-1, 1-1), it's his lock-down work on the defensive end that's drawing heightened attention.

“He takes pride in guarding the other team's best player,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg, whose team seeks its eighth straight win.

That desire ripples through good and bad shooting nights - and applies to opposing scorers of varying sizes and skill sets.

“I don't really do too much over-analyzing things,” said Babb, who leads the Cyclones in steals with 20 and has lost just 13 turnovers in a team-high 473 minutes. “I watch a lot of film and really study the scout and try to figure out what they're going to do and try to base my game off of that. I don't really worry about the hype, whether he's taller than me or shorter and faster than me. I just try to play as hard as I can because I know my team puts that trust in me.”

ISU's defense will be tested by the quick, skilled, but depth-challenged Tigers, who rank among the top nine nationally in 10 major categories, including points per game (84.4), field goal percentage (51.0) and turnover margin (plus-5.1).

Missouri's coming off its first loss, suffered Saturday at No. 18 Kansas State.

“They're extremely fast with the ball, maybe as fast as anybody in college basketball,” Hoiberg said. “They've got experienced guards. It's going to be an extremely tough game.”

The Cyclones look to have the edge in the paint, especially if forward Royce White continues to advance his game.

White notched ISU's fourth triple-double ever in Saturday's 74-50 win at A&M.

If he's on, shooters such as Babb will likely enjoy numerous open looks.

“We're just making shots,” said White, the Cyclones' leader in all three of those categories. “A lot of shots.”

And that feeds a fast Big 12 start.

If ISU wins Wednesday, it will begin the conference season with three or more consecutive wins for the first time since 2000-01.

“We haven't really accomplished much yet,” Babb said. “We've still got a lot of work to do and this will be a great opportunity for us.”