T.J. Otzelberger was hired at Iowa State to reinforce a standard for the men’s basketball program. Safe to say it’s gone well.
He enters his fifth season at the helm having taken the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four seasons, including two Sweet 16 appearances. He’s done it with a combination of impressive recruiting, transfer portal work and player development. Yet, it’s time for the Cyclones to level up a bit and go on a real deep NCAA Tournament run. That’s what the Cyclones have in mind this season.
Here is a preview of the 2025-26 season for the Iowa State Cyclones.
Iowa State Cyclones
2024-25: 25-10, 13-7 in Big 12, ffith place. Reached Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals before losing to BYU. Reached NCAA Tournament and lost in the second round.
Head coach: T.J. Otzelberger enters his fifth year at Iowa State. He is 95-45 in four seasons with a 2024 Big 12 Tournament title to his credit.
Big 12 history: The Cyclones are one of the original members of the Big 12 Conference, which was a merger of the Big 8 Conference and members of the Southwest Conference.
2025-26 Schedule: Click here for the full Big 12 men’s schedule.
Iowa State 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: Curtis Jones (17.4 PPG), Keshon Gilbert (13.4 PPG), Dishon Jackson (8.5 PPG), Brandton Chatfield (3.8 PPG), Nojus Indrusaitis (2.1 PPG), Demarion Watson (1.8 PPG), Kayden Fish (0.7 PPG), JT Rock (0.7 PPG)
Returning: F Joshua Jefferson (13.0 PPG), F Milan Momcilovic (11.5 PPG), G Tamin Lipsey (10.6 PPG), G Nate Heise (5.1 PPG), G Cade Kelderman.
Transfers: G Dominick Nelson (14.4 PPG at Utah Valley), G Mason Williams (13.9 PPG at Eastern Washington), F Eric Mulder (6.7 PPG at Purdue Fort Wayne), F Blake Buchanan (5.4 PPG at Virginia)
Freshmen: G Jamarion Batemon (No. 74 in ESPN 100), F Xzavion Mitchell (No. 83 in ESPN 100), G Killyan Toure (four-star), F Dominykas Pleta (international), G Anthony Rise.
Projected Starting Lineup
G Tamin Lipsey: It’s the last dance for the Ames native. Assuming he’s ready to play on opening night, he’ll be on the floor.
G Milam Momcilovic: If he remains healthy for a full season, his impact could be massive.
G Killyan Toure: The four-star recruit has started both exhibition games. With Lipsey hurt, turning to him over some of the transfers brought in is intriguing.
F Joshua Jefferson: A solid scorer who also happens to be the best passing big man in the Big 12.
F Blake Buchanan: The transfer forward has started both exhibition games, so odds are he’ll get first crack alongside Jefferson.
Starting Lineup Crashers
G Dominick Nelson: He’s not Mason Williams’ equal from distance. But Nelson could start and Williams could be this year’s Curtis Jones.
G Jamarion Batemon and F Xzavion Mitchell: The two freshmen that are most likely to crash the party. Mitchell could be especially useful if Buchanan can’t fill in the rebounding gap.
Lineup Competition
There is little fluff on this roster. Jefferson and Lipsey should be on the of the league’s best guard-forward combinations this season. Jefferson’s passing ability is an enviable skill set. Don’t be surprised if Lipsey is getting plenty of “hockey assists” this season, once he’s cleared from an offseason injury. Momcilovic’s role is on his way to a starting role. What’s happening around the three is intriguing. Heise has stepped into Lipsey’s role in both exhibition games. Buchanan has emerged as the second forward. And Toure, a four-star freshman guard, has started in preseason. How that translates to the regular season remains to be seen. But Otz is building depth early.
Early Prediction
The coaches thought enough of Iowa State to pick the Cyclones fifth in the preseason poll, but they didn’t get a first-place vote. Lipsey was their only all-conference preseason player. ISU is not a team to be slept on, especially the way Otz always manages to get his teams to play defense. Fans can stop whining about Iowa State’s non-conference schedule. ISU gets Mississippi State, St. John’s, Creighton and another power league team at the Players Era, along with matchups with Purdue and Iowa. Expect the Cyclones to be in good shape going into Big 12 action and to contend for a Top 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
