The AP preseason spotlight is shining on the Big 12 again, and Iowa State is right in the middle of it.
The Cyclones landed at No. 18 in the preseason poll, putting them fourth among Big 12 teams heading into the 2026-27 season. Arizona, Houston and Kansas checked in ahead of them, while Texas Tech and BYU followed close behind, giving the conference six ranked teams to open the year.
That league depth carried over into the AP Preseason All-America voting as well. Iowa State did not have a current player make the list, but former Cyclone Milan Momcilovic still drew attention.
Momcilovic, who entered the 2026 NBA Draft before also entering the transfer portal, later withdrew from the draft and no longer had a spot or NIL money available with Iowa State. He ended up transferring to Kentucky, where expectations are high for him as a featured scorer in 2026-27.
AP voters clearly see the upside too: he received five votes, falling 12 shy of the All-America team. Arizona center Motiejus Krivas took the fifth and final spot with 17 points.
Seven players finished between Momcilovic and Krivas, including BYU point guard Robert Wright III, Texas Tech big man JT Toppin and Kansas five-star freshman Tyran Stokes. Another Big 12 name, Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov, also picked up one vote, giving the league five representatives on a list otherwise stacked with players from the ACC and SEC.
Florida’s Thomas Haugh and Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. were the AP’s preseason All-America headliners, with Fears earning 57 votes from the 58-person media panel and Haugh collecting 56.
For Iowa State, the current roster still has a player who could break into that conversation before long. Point guard Tamin Lipsey, eligible for a fifth year as a member of the Class of 2022, has the kind of two-way game and star quality that can turn heads all season. He’s already one of the most accomplished active point guards in the country, with his defense standing out as one of his defining strengths.
If Lipsey turns in another strong season and delivers his usual production, his name could start showing up on ballots before long.
In Other News...
Mark Popes New Kentucky Lead Guard Comes With Real Risk And Upside
Alex Wilkins is arriving at Kentucky with the kind of rsum that makes him easy to notice and hard to project. The Furman transfer averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists last season, and in recent team events he has shown improved three-point shooting while stepping into the role of a lead guard for Mark Popes team. Pope has already pointed to Wilkins creativity and shooting, and Milan Momcilovic has echoed that optimism, which is part of why the staff sees him as such an intriguing fit.
The upside is obvious, but so is the challenge that comes with handing the controls to someone adjusting to a bigger stage and a new system. Pope has made it clear Wilkins is still developing, even as his potential stands out, and Kentuckys early buzz around him reflects the balance the Wildcats are trying to strike this season. If the guard keeps building on what he has shown so far, he could give Pope exactly the kind of dynamic backcourt presence this team needs. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Huge SEC Chance And One Lingering Concern
Kentucky sits in a familiar but meaningful spot as week nine arrives, tied for first in the SEC and staring at a very winnable game against Vanderbilt. The Wildcats have built their push around balance, leaning on a strong running game while trying to keep the offense steady enough to stay in control of conference play. With the league race tightening around them, this is the kind of stretch where a good team can turn a solid season into something far bigger.
The concern is on the other side of the ball, where Kentucky wants to keep heating up quarterbacks even as it navigates life without a key edge rusher. The defense has still been built to create pressure and help the Wildcats stay in the playoff conversation, but the margin gets thinner when one of the main pass-rush pieces is missing. If Kentucky is going to keep its place at the top of the SEC, it will need more than just a favorable matchup. It will need a cleaner, more complete performance than the one it has shown at times so far. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans Keep Asking About One Frustrating Wildcats Trend
A string of recent injury issues has naturally become one of the biggest talking points around Kentucky mens basketball, especially for fans trying to separate coincidence from something more troubling. The case being made here is that a lot of those setbacks look more like bad luck than a conditioning problem, which matters because the Wildcats are trying to build momentum with a roster that needs continuity as much as anything else.
There is also the broader frustration of where Kentucky landed in the preseason SEC basketball conversation. A seventh-place projection feels too low for a program that expects to be in the league chase, and it only adds to the sense that the Wildcats are entering the season with questions around health and respect alike. The injury chatter may not tell the whole story, but it has become part of why so many fans are paying attention to every update. [Read more 🡒]