Iowa State Books Bulk of Non-Conference Slate, Now Only Has One More Opening
The Iowa State Cyclones have filled a ton of their non-conference schedule for next season and are down to just a single void. They added five more opponents on Wednesday alone.
That includes Lindenwood (Nov. 9), Grambling (Nov. 19), Prairie View A&M (Dec. 10), Florida A&M (Dec. 17) and Eastern Illinois (Dec. 21). You can add those to the opener against Green Bay on Nov. 6, as well as home contests against Iowa on Dec. 7, Eastern Illinois on Dec. 21 and New Hampshire on Dec. 31, plus the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle at DePaul on Dec. 1 and the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 23-26. That competition includes the likes of Boise State, Butler, Penn State, Texas A&M, VCU, Virginia Tech and a MAAC team to be announced.
When the Cyclones open up the 2023-24 slate, they’ll be entering year three of the T.J. Otzelberger era. They finished this most recent campaign with a 19-14 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in Big 12 play.
Their season came to a close with a disappointing 59-41 loss to Pittsburgh in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But he’s done enough through two seasons to earn an extension through the 2028-29 season.
“The complete transformation of our program in such a short time is a testament to Coach Otzelberger’s leadership and vision for Cyclone Basketball, and he is most deserving of this extension and a compensation increase,” said Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard upon the news Wednesday.
So far, Otzelberger and the Cyclones have compiled a 41-27 record under his watch. They’ll look to take the next step against this newest step of opponents.
