After Iowa State men’s basketball media day on Oct. 17, the team knew redshirt junior Nick Weiler-Babb and senior Donovan Jackson were going to be the primary leaders.

The two averaged just over 10 points last season combined and with Monte Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long, Deonte Burton and Matt Thomas gone this season, it’s their time to shine. Even coach Steve Prohm said the young team is looking up to those two to control the offense and give the right types of encouragement throughout the season.

Maybe they need a little encouragement themselves before a long weekend in South Carolina for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“Last year, [Jackson] was a part of a lot of success and a lot of special moments,” Prohm said. “I need to talk with him tomorrow and continue to encourage him.”

To start this season, Iowa State is 0-2 and the two guards are averaging 17.5 points per game, with the majority of the points coming from Weilber-Babb who had 14 points at Missouri and 11 points against Milwaukee.

The two also have a combined five assists within those two games with all five coming from Weiler-Babb on Friday night against the Tigers. They also hold 11 turnovers in the first two games.

Prohm needs those two to step up as leaders during this tough stretch and especially with new territory coming at the Cyclones this upcoming weekend.

Iowa State will be heading east to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to participate in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off starting on Thursday and running until the end of the weekend on Sunday. The tournament was moved to South Carolina after Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico in September.

This will be the first time for many of the Cyclones’ players to play in a tournament-type atmosphere with a high level of competition each game. There are eight teams, including Iowa State, that will be making the trip to South Carolina for the weekend.

Checkout the 2017 #PRTipOff field and schedule! All of your game day information is available at https://t.co/XpUq28oAer. pic.twitter.com/c9DVYgPp7s

— Puerto Rico Tip-Off (@ESPNPRTipOff) November 14, 2017

Illinois State was 28-7 overall and 17-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season. The Redbirds made it to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) last season and will be playing South Carolina on Thursday. The Gamecocks finished their 2016-17 season 26-11 overall and 12-6 in the SEC and lost to Gonzaga in the Final Four in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Boise State is another team that had a winning record last season, going 20-12 overall and 12-6 in the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos lost in the second round of the NIT and have won against their two opponents by an average of 30 points per game.

Boise State will take on University of Texas at El Paso on Thursday, who finished the 2016-17 season with a 15-17 overall record and a 12-6 record in Conference USA. The Miners didn’t reach a tournament at the end of the season and just recently won by 50 points on Friday night against Louisiana College.

Tulsa also finished 15-17 overall last season with a 8-10 record in the American Athletic Conference. The Golden Hurricanes didn’t reach a tournament last season, but are 1-1 to start the 2017-18 season.

Western Michigan will take on Tulsa on Thursday night after having a 16-16 record overall and an 11-7 record in the Mid-American Conference. The team didn’t reach a tournament at the end of the season.

“I’m excited about heading to South Carolina for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off,” Prohm said during media day on Oct. 17. “There’s some great competition that will help us prepare for a tough Big 12 season in a few months.”

Besides those three matchups, the final one is Iowa State and Appalachian State.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers haven’t had a winning season since 2010-11 when it went 17-15. Last season, the Mountaineers went 9-21 overall and 4-14 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Even with a losing season last year, Appalachian State is starting off this season 2-0 with dominating performances. The Mountaineers started the regular season with a 101-point victory, 135-34, over Toccoa Falls College and won their second game 95-57 over Bridgewater College.

Weiler-Babb and Jackson will have their hands full Thursday night against two powerful point guards for the Mountaineers.

Junior guard Ronshad Shabazz and sophomore guard O’Showen Williams have been a duo threat with 25 and 17 points, respectively, against Bridgewater on Sunday.

It’ll be a battle for Weiler-Babb and Jackson, but the leadership will need to be shown by the duo for a weekend of new environments and new teams.

“We’re focusing on Appalachian State for now,” Prohm said. “After the game, then we’ll focus on the next game. Take it one game at a time.”