Iowa State’s season is still ahead, but Tamin Lipsey is already stacking up the kind of recognition that tells you exactly how he’s viewed nationally.
The Cyclones open the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season at the Sanford Pentagon against the Memphis Tigers, a building where Iowa State has never lost in Sioux Falls. They’re back there for a second straight year after beating Mississippi State in that arena last season, and Lipsey is once again the headliner.
For the moment, the point guard is eligible to play a fifth season because of a lawsuit in Indiana that he was part of. His status for the full year is still unresolved, so the picture isn’t completely settled yet. But if he’s on the floor, Iowa State’s outlook changes fast.
That’s part of why Lipsey landing on the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Player of the Year Preseason Watch List matters. He’s now being mentioned among the 50 best players in men’s college basketball before the season even starts, a strong sign of how much respect he has earned.
The honor fits. Lipsey has been a starter in every game of his college career, and his return for another season gives Iowa State a different kind of edge. He doesn’t just bring production; he brings control, experience, and a defensive presence that shapes everything around him.
Last season, he was voted the best point-of-attack defender in the nation, and that reputation hasn’t changed. Iowa State is also adding another tough defender to the backcourt in Jaquan Johnson, the Bradley transfer and reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
When Killyan Toure comes back from his shoulder injury, he is expected to join Lipsey in the starting lineup, giving the Cyclones a backcourt built to make life miserable for opposing guards.
Lipsey’s profile keeps rising, even if the award race will be crowded. His value doesn’t always jump off the box score, and that can matter when voters start making decisions. Still, the recognition alone is a major accomplishment.
It’s also the first preseason watch list he has made this year. He was not included on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List, which goes to the best point guard in the country, but he did earn a spot on the All-Big 12 Preseason Team as one of the conference’s top players heading into the season.
In Other News...
Iowa State Just Revived A Bigger Question About This Roster
Iowa States upset of once-ranked Oklahoma State gave the season a jolt and pushed the Cyclones back to .500 at 4-4 with four games left, but it also sharpened the bigger conversation around where this roster is headed next. With 22 starters returning, including quarterback Jaylen Raynor and running back Aiden Flora, the foundation is there for this to be more than a one-off surge, especially if the Cyclones can keep stacking results down the stretch.
The harder part is keeping that core intact in an era shaped by the transfer portal and NIL contracts, where continuity is never guaranteed for long. Iowa State still has a path to bowl eligibility with at least one more win, which would put the Cyclones in position for their first postseason trip since the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl, but the larger question is whether this group can stay together long enough to build on what it just started. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Found An Unexpected Answer Up Front At The Right Time
A few weeks ago, Makai Sat was not even dressing for games. Now the former walk-on and JUCO prospect has become a steady part of Iowa States front, making three consecutive starts and giving the Cyclones a timely boost where they needed it most. His rise has fit neatly into an offensive line picture that has been changing as the season goes along, with the staff rewarding the players who have earned it on the practice field and in game action.
Jimmy Rogers has made it clear the depth chart is anything but fixed, and Sats emergence is a good example of how quickly things can shift when performance matches opportunity. For Iowa State, the bigger takeaway is not just that an unexpected name has held up in a starting role, but that the line has found a workable answer up front at a time when stability matters. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Just Found An Unexpected Offensive Line Answer
Iowa States offensive line has quietly gotten a new look, and it has come with a player who wasnt even dressing for games earlier in the season. Makai Sat has now started three straight contests, a sign of how fluid Jimmy Rogers says the depth chart can be when performance and growth start to change the conversation.
Sats rise has given the Cyclones another useful piece up front, and the staff has pointed to his work ethic and steady impact as part of what has helped the line function better. For a team leaning on the Big 12s leading rusher, Aiden Flora, that kind of development matters, especially when it comes from an unexpected place and still leaves room for more to come. [Read more 🡒]