There is no doubt it’s flu season, and the ISU men’s basketball team hasn’t been able to escape the wrath of the rampant virus.

The team has been battling illness for the past few weeks, but got some much-needed recovery. With no game during the week, the Cyclones didn’t practice Sunday and Monday, their first consecutive days off since the start of the Big 12 season.

“[The break] couldn’t have happened at a better time for us,” said coach Greg McDermott. “The illness is kind of running its way through our team like it is across campus.”

Multiple players were hindered by the bug, and even after the week off not everyone is totally healthy.

“I think Wesley [Johnson] is still fighting it, a couple other guys that are hacking and coughing,” McDermott said. “I think that this time of the year that happens across the country, and we just need to find a way to get through it.”

The break also gave players a chance to rest some nagging injuries and get as close to healthy as they can for the last stretch of the season. Johnson, who was the sickest on the team and was limited to only 14 minutes off the bench against Nebraska last Saturday, has also been battling an injured ankle that hasn’t had a chance to fully heal during the rigors of the conference schedule.

“Certainly with Wes’ injury at the time, the time away is going to be good for him,” McDermott said.

Good Knight and good luck

This will be the first chance the Cyclones have had to face Texas Tech since the abrupt mid-season resignation of Bobby Knight.

Knight, who has the most wins in Division I history – 902 – left the program on Feb. 4, placing it in the hands of his son Pat, who was an assistant coach for the team. Since the elder Knight left, the Red Raiders have gone 2-3.

Even though Bobby was a legend, McDermott is more concerned about his own team than his opposition.

“I never really get caught up on who is over on the other bench,” McDermott said. “We have enough problems of our own.”

The standing of Knight’s career isn’t lost on McDermott, who was lucky enough to develop a relationship with him since coming to Iowa State and the Big 12.

“Obviously, he had a great career, and it was a pleasure to get to know him, both on the floor and in a social setting,” McDermott said. “He’s meant a great deal to the game of basketball.”

On the court, Texas Tech is still playing the style of basketball Knight installed when he came to Lubbock, Texas, in 2001, with only a few changes. Pat has been with the team since his father took the lead, and his familiarity with the system and players has helped.

“They are doing the same things on both ends of the floor that they did before, except for the fact that they maybe play a little more zone,” McDermott said. “Pat was involved with the team from day one. He’s recruited a lot of these guys, and he has been involved with teaching the day-to-day basics in practice.”