The Iowa men's basketball team is preparing for the ESPN Invitational, which opens this Thursday at Disney World. The Thanksgiving Day Mavericks will take on formidable opponents in Virginia Commonwealth and either Boise State or Virginia. After a day off on Saturday, they could take on Penn State, Texas A&M, Florida Atlantic or Butler on Sunday. It's worth noting that the Florida Atlantic team reached the Final Four last season.

Head Coach TJ Otzelberger will lead the team to DePaul for the annual Big East/Big 12 Conference Tournament on Dec. 1, followed by the highly-anticipated Fledgling Rivalry on Dec. 7 at Hilton Coliseum.

At the end of those five games, we will have a better idea of the true potential of this Iowa State team. The substance of the non-conference schedule will undoubtedly reveal more of what they are capable of.

"The strength of our team," said Rob Jones, "is our defensive mentality, which is reflected in every game we play, no matter who the opponent is." We are ready to take on any team straight up, even if it is on the road, and we will come out with the same physicality and energy that we showed at Hilton Coliseum.

In Ozauberger's first season, Iowa State participated in the NIT Preseason Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., where it defeated No. 25 Xavier and No. 9 Memphis. The team advanced to the Sweet 16 with a record of 22 wins and 13 losses, setting the bar high for the upcoming season.

"Early in my Iowa State career, what impressed me about Brooklyn was the team's resiliency and ability to generate energy even without fans," Jones recalled. That's the nature of these types of events and the nature of our upcoming events," Jones recalled. They foster a sense of camaraderie and intimacy.

Last season at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Iowa State won a thrilling overtime game against Villanova and then blew out No. 1 North Carolina. Their journey ended with a loss to eventual NCAA Tournament champion Connecticut.

"We beat the number one ranked team and really had a chance to beat Connecticut," Jones recalled. Jones recalled, "It was gratifying to see that we could compete with anyone. Beating the No. 1 ranked team and exposing their weaknesses gives me more confidence that if we execute the game plan, we will give it our all in every game.

These early season tournaments, including the upcoming ESPN Invitational, provide important opportunities for the Mavericks to build confidence, strengthen team unity, and step out of their comfort zone against easy-to-beat opponents. These games will also provide valuable input to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

"We're definitely in a good position," affirmed point guard Tamin Lipsey, who scored 17 points and had nine assists in his team's 97-32 thrashing of Grambling State on Sunday afternoon." I think we feel good. We approach every game and practice with high spirits.

"This will be our first time away from Hilton, but we're not going to change our approach. It's going to be fun. It will be a learning experience for all of us. We have high expectations."