The Iowa State Cyclones’ offseason looked messy enough to raise real questions about where they’d land in the preseason rankings for the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season. A roster that powered a Sweet 16 run took a major hit, and injuries kept piling up on top of that.
Joshua Jefferson is in the NBA. Milan Momcilovic transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Nate Heise exhausted his eligibility. Tamin Lipsey was thought to have done the same.
Iowa State then went to work replacing that production with a transfer group that included Tre Singleton, Jaquan Johnson, Leon Bond III, Ryan Prather Jr. and Taj Manning.
Even with that reinforcements, the setbacks kept coming. Killyan Toure, who had been emerging as a star, suffered a shoulder injury and will be out until mid-January at the earliest. Class of 2026 recruit Christian Wiggins tore an Achilles, and Yusef Gray Jr. has been rehabbing a shoulder injury from his senior year.
So it was easy to see why some believed Iowa State might open outside the top 25. But James Fletcher III of On3 has the Cyclones safely inside the projected AP Preseason Top 25, and the big reason is Lipsey.
Lipsey is now expected to return to Ames for a fifth season under the new 5-in-5 eligibility rules. A member of the Class of 2022 who did not sign any professional contracts, he was cleared through a lawsuit in Indiana.
That changes the entire picture for Iowa State. What looked like a backcourt hit by Toure’s injury now has its veteran mentor back in the fold for one more season.
Fletcher’s projection slots the Cyclones at No. 15, and Lipsey’s return is the centerpiece of that placement. Once Toure is back, the two are expected to form one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA, along with the single-best perimeter defensive duo in the country.
Jaquan Johnson adds even more bite on that end. He was the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and that kind of perimeter defense makes Iowa State a nightmare for opposing offenses.
As long as Lipsey stays eligible, Iowa State looks like one of the Big 12’s top teams. In Fletcher’s current projection, only the Arizona Wildcats and Houston Cougars from the conference are ranked ahead of the Cyclones.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburtons Return To Hilton Meant Everything For Iowa State Fans
Tyrese Haliburtons return to Hilton Coliseum gave Iowa State fans the kind of reunion they had been waiting years to see. The former Cyclone came back to his college home court in an NBA preseason game for the Indiana Pacers against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the night carried extra weight after a 16-month recovery from an Achilles tendon rupture. Wearing his old college number again, Haliburton finished with seven points, six assists and two blocks in 16 minutes, a stat line that mattered less than the sight of him back on the floor in a place that helped shape his rise.
For Iowa State, it was a reminder of how much Haliburton still means to that fan base, even now that he is an NBA star. He addressed the crowd before and after the game with the kind of gratitude that matched the moment, appreciative simply to be playing again and doing it in front of the people who watched his career begin. The game itself was preseason, but the reception felt like a celebration of persistence, and of a player whose connection to Ames has never really faded. [Read more 🡒]
Malaki Taase Just Raised The Stakes For Iowa State At BYU
Malaki Taases strip sack and fumble recovery against West Virginia was one of those momentum-shifting snaps that can change the feel of a game in an instant. In Iowa States 45-42 win, the play stood out as a key reason the Cyclones were able to come away with the victory, and it also served as another reminder of how much the defense can swing the outcome when it gets a takeaway at the right time.
Now the focus turns to BYU, where Iowa State will need more of those kinds of impact plays to keep building on that result. Taase and his teammates have already talked about the value of those moments, and with a tough road matchup ahead, the Cyclones will be looking to turn disruption on defense into the same kind of edge they found against West Virginia. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Faces Its Biggest Big 12 Test Yet At BYU
Iowa State is heading into its first road game of the season with a trip to Provo for a matchup that could say plenty about where the Cyclones stand in the Big 12 race. No. 8 BYU brings the ranking, the home-field edge and the kind of profile that makes this feel like a true early benchmark, but Iowa State has also shown enough lately to make this one more than a simple uphill climb.
The Cyclones recent work has given reason to think they can stay in the conversation in a game expected to be tight, even with BYU favored by a slim margin. The Cougars also enter with some notable injury questions, which only adds another layer to a matchup already rich with stakes and uncertainty, and makes this one of those September games that could shape how both teams are viewed going forward. [Read more 🡒]