ISU hoops notes: Throw-down Tyrus McGee, Chris Babb's D and more

AMES - Iowa State's Royce White readied for the rebound Wednesday as his team polished off Texas Tech at Hilton Coliseum.

All of a sudden ... It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's ...

Tyrus McGee?

“I don't know what happened, really,” White said. “I saw the ball go in and I turned around and looked at Tyrus. It was fun.”

Throw-down Tyrus.

He stands just 6-2, but plays above the rim as ably as he does behind the 3-point line.

“I could tell the ball was off,” said McGee, a junior transfer who scored five points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench Wednesday. “I just went up there, jumped as high as I could, grabbed it, and put it back in.”

McGee is tied for third among ISU players in dunks.

The 6-8 White has a team-high 38.

Melvin Ejim, who stands 6-6, owns nine.

McGee and 6-9 reserve Anthony Booker have five apiece.

Surprising ups?

“It surprises some of my teammates, too,” said McGee, who also has made 45 3-pointers. “I told them at the beginning of the season I could jump, but I never show it in practice, even when we're playing around I never show it. I just wait to game time and let it all out. Hey, (Wednesday) I got me one.”

BABB'S LAB: In high school, Chris Babb needed to be a scorer. He obliged, averaging more than 30 points per game. In college - first at Penn State, now at ISU - he's been asked to be a defensive stopper. He's done that willingly, too, and Saturday will try to corral Kansas State's Rodney McGruder.

“I'm all about winning,” said Babb, who shut out Texas Tech's Ty Nurse in the second half Wednesday after he scored 15 before the break. “I'm all about doing what the team needs.”

Babb's a role player, but in its truest sense.

He's multidimensional - adaptable - and due for another hot streak from 3-point range.

He's also positioned for his first trip to the NCAA Tournament, one year after his former Nittany Lion teammates made “the Big Dance.”

“There were obviously a lot of doubters, a lot of naysayers when I transferred, especially when Penn State went to the tournament last year,” Babb said. “People had a lot of things to say to me. I had nothing but positive things to say about Penn State.”

THE LONGEST (THREE) YARDS: Iowa State's Royce White leads his team in points, boards, assists, blocked shots and steal.

But free throws continue to be a problem.

White made 3 of 9 Wednesday, dropping him to 37 of 93 from the stripe in Big 12 play.

That's 39.8 percent - and a head-scratcher to him.

“I'm not a great free throw shooter by any means, but even in high school I shot two times as good as I'm shooting now,” White said. “I think part of it is just me over-thinking it now and having too many people in my ear about what I need to change and thinking about all that as I go to the line. I've just got to shake that loose and go up and shoot them. I couldn't shoot any worse than I'm shooting now, so there's no reason to be over-thinking at this point.”

HIP-HIP-HILTON: Chris Allen played in two Final Fours at Michigan State. Success for the Spartans under Coach Tom Izzo is engrained, long-standing and thus routine. So for Allen, helping to rebuild success at Iowa State - where fans haven't cheered their team in an NCAA Tournament for seven years - is a new, but fun experience.

“Every little hustle play, every little thing, they're super excited for, like somebody just windmill dunked,” Allen said. “It's a great feeling.”