The poll results are in: Here’s a closer look at No. 17 Iowa State.
17. Iowa State
2025-26 record: 29-8
Outlook for 2026-27: It’s not a brand-name program, but T.J. Otzelberger has transformed Iowa State into a team no one wants to play in February, least of all in Ames. The next step is to get deeper into March.
What we like: Iowa State returns 52.9% of its minutes, a mark only a handful of high-majors can say they’ve hit. Killyan Toure and Blake Buchanan are fine Big 12 players, but everything comes back to the scoring, passing, defense and all-around steadiness of fifth-year guard Tamin Lipsey. Toure underwent surgery on a shoulder injury in August and is not expected back until mid-to-late January.
Trouble ahead: With 3-point marksman Milan Momcilovic off to Kentucky, how much shooting the Cyclones have remains to be seen. Do-it-all forward Joshua Jefferson, a first-round draft pick, may be even harder to replace.
Top newcomer: Bradley transfer Jaquan Johnson may only be 5-foot-11, but he was one of mid-major basketball’s most multitalented guards last year, when he averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals. He’s also a career 37.5% shooter from three — no Momcilovic, but part of the solution there.
