No. 18 Iowa State is heading into Monday’s season opener with its most important piece back in place.
Tamin Lipsey, who was granted a fifth year of eligibility through ongoing litigation against the NCAA, returned to action last week and immediately reminded everyone what he means to the Cyclones. In his 2026 preseason debut, he scored 14 points in a 94-59 win over Northwestern, and Iowa State now takes that momentum into a matchup with Memphis in Sioux Falls, S.D.
If Lipsey is on the floor, the Cyclones have real ambitions in the Big 12 and beyond. That much was clear from the way T.J. Otzelberger talked after the win over the Wildcats.
"Tamin is (as) high character and classy a person as you could be," Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the win over the Wildcats.
"I think there's a little bit for him that, you know, he feels a little guilt because he wasn't here all summer and into the fall. But it's time to put that all behind us.
The season's almost here and I can't tell you how much it means to have him out there."
Iowa State enters the new year after a strong 29-8 season that ended in the Sweet 16, where Tennessee knocked it out with a 76-62 win.
Memphis is trying to bounce back from a very different kind of year. The Tigers went 13-19 last season after going 29-6 the year before, and Penny Hardaway is treating this season like a chance to reset the whole conversation around his team.
"The biggest thing for me is us having to go prove ourselves," Hardaway said after a 75-58 exhibition win over Mississippi State. "That's why we play the nonconference schedule that we play. We want to play against the P4s to kind of put ourselves in position to have an automatic bid (to the NCAA Tournament) and also challenge ourselves against the best in the nation."
Hardaway said he understands the Tigers didn’t handle that spotlight well a year ago, but he expects a different response this time around.
"It's always where we've kind of been under the radar and have to prove ourselves. Last year we didn't do so. In previous years we have, and we look forward to doing it this year," Hardaway said.
Memphis does bring back Julius Thedford, who averaged 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The roster looks very different otherwise, with 13 new players joining the mix, including Pittsburgh transfer Brandin Cummings, who averaged 12.5 points before an injury cut his season short.
For Iowa State, the floor general remains the center of everything. Lipsey averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 assists last season, and the Cyclones will lean on him heavily again.
They also have a promising addition in Robert Morris transfer Ryan Prather Jr., who lit up Northwestern by hitting 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Last season, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Otzelberger said the focus now is on steady improvement rather than getting ahead of itself.
"What's important is that each day we maximize how we can get better individually and collectively," Otzelberger said. "So, it's gonna be important that we don't get focused on scoreboards and outcomes, and we keep our focus on, 'Let's control what we can. Let's get better every single day, and let's keep moving forward as a team.'"
In Other News...
Memphis Just Got A Warning About What Could Hurt This Team
Arkansas exhibition win over Memphis offered an early look at exactly where the Tigers can be vulnerable this season. The Razorbacks leaned on length, athleticism and pressure to carve out a 93-81 victory, piling up dunks and turning defense into easy offense while Memphis had to work much harder for its points. Even in a preseason setting, the matchup showed how quickly a more explosive opponent can tilt the floor if the Tigers do not match that energy possession by possession.
Memphis held up better at the free-throw line, but that was not enough to keep pace once Arkansas started winning the battle in the paint and in transition. Billy Richmond III and Jordan Smith Jr. helped power the Razorbacks efficient scoring, and the larger warning for Memphis is clear: against a team that can attack the rim and run, the Tigers will need cleaner half-court possessions and better resistance before the game gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]