Tamin Lipsey’s absence from Iowa State’s first exhibition game raised plenty of eyebrows, but T.J. Otzelberger made it clear after the 83-80 loss to Creighton that it was never a sign of trouble.
At the start of his postgame media session, Otzelberger said the Cyclones had already mapped out how Lipsey would be brought back into the mix after returning to Ames. The coach pointed to practice as the key piece of that plan and said the point guard has been working with the team.
“Tamin Lipsey and I have had a plan all along when he returned of how we would integrate him back with our team. He’s been in practice, he’s done a great job, and we will integrate him with the first group and the guys each and every day in practice. We’ll be hopeful that we will be able to put him out there and play against Northwestern next Sunday,” Otzelberger said.
Otzelberger added that this approach has been in place since practice began about a month ago, which means Lipsey sitting out against Creighton was always part of the arrangement.
For a fan base already on edge about eligibility, that was the important part. Lipsey is one of the players from the Class of 2022 seeking a fifth year of eligibility under the new 5-in-5 rules, and those cases have stayed fluid as lawsuits continue around the country.
With no explanation offered before the game, the reaction naturally went to the worst-case scenario. Otzelberger’s comments pushed that fear aside.
Lipsey also dealt with an injury over the summer, which ended his NBA Summer League run with the Indiana Pacers early. But if he’s been back on the practice floor with Iowa State, the bigger concern appears to be behind him now as he works his way back into the rotation.
The target now is Northwestern next Sunday, a chance for Lipsey to get live game reps before Iowa State opens the regular season on Nov. 2 with a trip to the Sanford Pentagon to face the Memphis Tigers.
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