Iowa State’s 2026-27 outlook already looked different, but Tamin Lipsey could change it in a hurry.
The Cyclones had been bracing for a reset after their Big 3 of Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic. Lipsey and Jefferson were heading into their NBA careers, while Momcilovic withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft and transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger had already started reshaping the roster around that reality.
Now there’s a possible twist: Lipsey may not be done after all.
He joined an Indiana lawsuit involving players trying to secure another year of eligibility under the new 5-in-5 rules. And because he did not sign his Exhibit 10 deal with the Indiana Pacers, there’s reason to think the Ames native could be cleared for a fifth season of college basketball. If that happens, Iowa State’s entire projection shifts.
The impact would be immediate. Lipsey isn’t just another returning guard - he’s the kind of player who changes the temperature of a team.
Jaquan Johnson, the Bradley transfer, had been seen by many as the answer at point guard. With Lipsey back in the mix, Johnson could instead learn directly from one of the best.
Lipsey entered the 2025-26 season as the best point-of-attack defender in men’s college basketball, and that edge would still play a year later. He’d slot right back in as one of the nation’s top point guards, lifting both the floor and the ceiling for a team that already expects to contend.
His track record at Iowa State tells the story. In four seasons, he started all 137 games he played, earned All-Big 12 honors three times and helped the Cyclones reach the tournament every year he was in the program. Over the last three seasons, Iowa State won 83 games.
A Lipsey return would also keep Iowa State’s ranking streak alive. The Cyclones are currently sitting on 52 straight weeks in the polls, and bringing him back would make it hard to imagine that run ending.
It would also soften the blow of losing Killyan Toure. The sophomore guard is out after shoulder surgery and is expected to remain sidelined until January, with a recent update saying he won’t return until the middle or end of the month. That means Iowa State will be without a major rotation piece through the entire non-conference slate and into the start of Big 12 play.
That’s a tough loss to absorb. But it gets a lot easier if Otzelberger can simply put Lipsey back in the starting lineup.
For a team that was preparing to move on from last season’s core, getting one of those stars back would be a major, and perfectly timed, boost.
In Other News...
Tamin Lipsey Gives Iowa State A Huge Boost With One Catch
Tamin Lipseys path back to Iowa State basketball just got a major lift, at least for now. A Monroe County Circuit Court injunction in Indiana cleared the way for Lipsey and roughly 90 other athletes to receive a fifth year of eligibility, giving the Cyclones guard a potential avenue to return for the 2026-27 season under a challenge to the NCAAs new age-based rule.
For Iowa State, the development matters because Lipsey has been central to the programs recent rise, and any chance to keep that core intact is worth watching closely. The catch is that the NCAA is expected to appeal, so while the ruling opens the door, his status is still far from settled as the legal fight over which 2022 high school graduates qualify continues to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Gets An Early Big 12 Test It Cant Fake
Utah has spent the opening month looking every bit like a Big 12 heavyweight, outscoring its first three opponents by a combined 142-24 and stacking up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball. Now the Utes step into conference play against Iowa State, a team that has built its own early case with strong defensive production and a run game led by its top rusher. It is the kind of league opener that should tell both programs something real about where they stand.
For Iowa State, this is less about surviving an early test than meeting a contender on the same field and finding out whether its defensive foundation can travel. The matchup also carries some added familiarity, with the two programs having a recent history that gives this one a little more edge than a typical opener. Both coaches have already acknowledged the stakes of the moment, and the Cyclones now get a first Big 12 measuring stick they cannot really sidestep. [Read more 🡒]
Tamin Lipsey Just Changed Iowa States Ceiling Again
A court ruling in Indiana has opened the door for nearly 90 college athletes to play another season, and that includes a familiar name for Iowa State fans in Tamin Lipsey. Judge Kara Krothe granted a preliminary injunction in Monroe County Circuit Court, giving the group access to a fifth year of eligibility and setting up a potential ripple effect across college basketball.
For the Cyclones, Lipseys possible return matters because it keeps one of the programs most important pieces in the picture as the roster takes shape for another run. The ruling also touches several other notable players around the country, from Malik Reneau to Tre White, and the NCAA is expected to appeal, so the final answer is still unsettled even if the immediate impact is already being felt. [Read more 🡒]