The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has turned into a consistently strong program under head coach T.J. Otzelberger. Entering Year 5 of his tenure, he has led the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament four out of four years thus far.
Last year, Iowa State entered the season ranked No. 5 in the country. They reached No. 2 during the campaign, the highest a Cyclones team has ever been ranked in the school’s history.
For the second time in program history, the team has been ranked in the preseason AP Poll for consecutive years. Iowa State isn’t as highly regarded this time around, coming in at No. 16. This is the fifth straight campaign the team has been ranked at any point, which is also a program record.
However, some preseason rankings disrespect the Cyclones. Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated shared one such ranking.
He ranked every team in men’s college basketball, 1 through 365. Iowa State was placed at No. 25. That is way too low, and the disrespect was doubled down on by placing them as the No. 6 team in the Big 12.
“T.J. Otzelberger has earned the benefit of the doubt with his transfer portal evaluations after some great under-the-radar hits in recent years, but this crop of newcomers doesn’t look great on paper,” Sweeney wrote.
The Cyclones lost a lot of key contributors from last season’s team. Their two leading scorers, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, have moved on. As did starting center Dishon Jackson, who transferred to the Pittsburgh Panthers.
However, even with those three and backup center Brandton Chatfield no longer in the mix, Iowa State is returning the most minutes and scoring in the conference. That will give them a major edge early in the season with so many teams integrating new players.
Otzelberger has a clear idea of what he is looking for on the transfer portal. Sweeney may not think highly of the group, but they addressed specific needs.
Dominick Nelson, the 2024-25 WAC Player of the Year with the Utah Valley Wolverines, brings the downhill attacking prowess of Gilbert. Eric Mulder will provide efficiency in the middle and Blake Buchanan brings experience and defensive chops from the Virginia Cavaliers.
Also, the freshman class looks impactful. A lot of attention was given to Jamarion Batemon during the offseason, and Killyan Toure has garnered a lot of praise for how he performed in exhibition games as Tamin Lipsey’s replacement.
Speaking of Lipsey, his return, along with that of Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, provides the team with as good a trio as there is in college basketball. Their presence plays a part in Sweeney admitting his ranking could be too low.
“The three key pieces Iowa State retained give them the necessary nucleus to compete for another protected seed in the NCAA tournament, though, and if Dominick Nelson and Blake Buchanan hit, this ranking could look far too low in retrospect,” he wrote.
Playing the role of underdog is one that the Cyclones thrive in. It is what they will be once again in the eyes of some entering the campaign.
