Iowa State is once again one of the better teams in the country. This is a program that is coached very well, and there is nobody better fit to be leading this team in 2026 than T.J. Otzelberger. The head coach was a former assistant in the program from 2006 to 2013, and then again in 2015-16. He became the head coach at North Dakota State and UNLV before taking the head coaching job back at Iowa State in 2021.
The team has been dominant since Otzelberger arrived. The Cyclones are 114-47 overall. They went to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season, one year after winning only two games during the COVID-19 shortened season. He's won at least 19 games in every season and is currently 19-2 this year. There is a good chance that the Cyclones win at least 30 games this season when it's all said and done.
After making the NCAA Tournament the last four seasons with two Sweet Sixteen berths, Otzelberger's Cyclones are back and are a clear March Madness contender in 2026.
Why Iowa State is a clear March Madness contender
Iowa State began the season 16-0 and entered the Big 12 conference play with high hopes as the No. 2 team in the country. They jumped Michigan after the Wolverines lost to Wisconsin; however, the Cyclones would immediately lose two straight games to winnable opponents. Iowa State traveled to unranked Kansas (now No. 15) and unranked Cincinnati and lost both games badly. The Jayhawks dominated with a 21-point win, followed up by a 9-point loss to an 11-10 Cincinnati squad.
Since then, the Cyclones have bounced back in a big way. They have won three straight games and defeated both UCF and Colorado by 30 points at home. They took down Oklahoma State by 13 on the road. ISU is now 6-2 in conference play with a game against Kansas State on the road this Sunday to begin February.
The Big 12 is stacked with talented teams. These next three games are huge for the Cyclones to improve to 9-2 in the conference before a rematch with Kansas at home. That contest is followed by games against No. 10 Houston, No. 13 BYU, and No. 11 Texas Tech to end the month. Three of the four of those games are at home. Iowa State also has a date with No. 1 Arizona in Tucson to open March. These are all great tests for this Cylcones team. They are capable of winning most of these battles and gaining the needed experience to make a run during the conference tournament.
Arizona is likely going to be the top seed in the Big 12 tourney. The second seed is still up for grabs, though anything can happen with five weeks to play. If the Cyclones can capture a top-3 seed for the conference tournament, they can make a run to win it. This team is likely going to be a 2-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they have the talent to win the entire thing.
Who is leading the charge?
Three players average at least 13 points per game, and they all contribute in different ways. Milan Momcilovic is one of the best players in the country. The 6-foot-8 forward from Milwaukee averages 18.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and shoots 55.5% from the floor and 53.9% from three-point range. He's a mismatch on the floor for a ton of defenders, and he is electric from the line, shooting 88.5%. As you can see, Momcilovic provides a large load of the scoring, though Joshua Jefferson isn't far behind him.
Jefferson averages 17.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 7.8. He is also second on the team in assists at 5.1 per game. The forward does it all for the Cyclones and steps up on defense with 1.5 steals. Against UCF, Jefferson ended with a triple-double, scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 boards, and dishing out 12 assists in the 30-point win.
The last player worth noting, Tamin Lipsey, leads the team in assists and steals at 5.3 and 2.3 per game. Lipsey can score the rock when needed at 13.2 per game, but the senior point guard creates the offense with his passing.
Iowa State is 23rd in the nation in scoring, averaging 86.1 points per game and 11th in field goal percentage at 51.1%. The Cyclones are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country at 40.6% from deep. That is going to help them when making a run in March. Lastly, the Cyclones are 20th in assists at 18.1 per game. When it comes to offense, Iowa State thrives.
There are only a handful of teams better than Iowa State. The end of February and beginning of March will be a great test for this team as they prepare to make history and attempt to win their first-ever NCAA Tournament and first Final Four appearance since 1944.
