Iowa State opens the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season with a familiar setup at the Sanford Pentagon, and this time the opponent brings a different kind of challenge. After beating Mississippi State there last year, the Cyclones will meet Memphis, a team trying to rebound from an under-.500 finish and a missed NCAA tournament bid.
Memphis enters with some respect attached, too. The Tigers are projected to finish second in the AAC coaches’ preseason poll, which makes this a useful early measuring stick for Iowa State against a program with tournament hopes of its own.
One of the more interesting wrinkles in the matchup is the reunion between two former Northwestern Wildcats teammates. Iowa State has Tre Singleton in the frontcourt, while Memphis will counter with Jayden Reid in the starting backcourt.
Singleton is expected to make an immediate impact in his first game for the Cyclones. With Iowa State appearing to hold an edge inside, he should take advantage of that space and give a strong opening performance in place of Joshua Jefferson. The projection here has Singleton putting up 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals.
Reid, meanwhile, should face a tougher road. He is likely to see either Tamin Lipsey or Jaquan Johnson, and the expectation is that he still makes his mark as a scorer and creator. The prediction has him leading Memphis with 18 points and six assists.
The bigger story for Iowa State, though, is the same one that carried the Cyclones last season: defense. Early-season rust is always part of the equation, but Iowa State’s identity starts on that end of the floor, and the returners give them a head start. Lipsey is back to set the tone as the premier point-of-attack defender in the country, and Johnson, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, joins him in the backcourt.
Blake Buchanan is back to anchor the paint, with Dominykas Pleta also in the mix, and that group is expected to make life miserable for Memphis. The prediction is that the Tigers will cough it up at least 15 times.
Iowa State is a heavy favorite, and the frontcourt could become an even bigger edge if Nemanja Popovic is not cleared and remains out for the first six games of the season. There will be some early bumps, but the Cyclones’ continuity should take over as the game wears on.
The final call: Iowa State wins 81-67 to open the season.
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