No. 9 Iowa State at Oklahoma State Primer

Who: No. 9 Iowa State (21-6, 11-5 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (13-14, 5-11 Big 12)

Where: Gallagher-Iba Areana (13,611) – Stillwater, Okla.

When: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 – 7 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPN+ // Mark Neely (PxP), Bryndon Manzer (Analyst)

Listen: Cyclone Radio Network // John Walters (PxP) & Eric Heft (Analyst)

Tipping Off: Iowa State looks to rebound from a weekend setback this Tuesday, when it heads to Oklahoma State for the teams' only meeting this season in the Cyclones' penultimate road contest of the year. It will mark the second-straight year that the two teams have met just once in the regular season.

Last time out, a depleted ISU squad competed admirably on the road against the fifth-ranked Houston Cougars. Despite the adversity of not having its top two scorers, the Cyclone effort was valiant. Down by as many as 16 points, ISU battled back to within one point and were within reach until the final four minutes of the contest.

Oklahoma State, like ISU, will also look to get back on track, as the Cowboys lost at No. 23 Kansas last time out. KU would go on to shoot 57.1% from the floor while holding OSU to just 36.7%, as the Cowboys lost their eighth road Big 12 game of the season.

Storylines:

Iowa State's "sixth starter," Curtis Jones, became an actual starter for seven games but has gone back to the bench with the return of Milan Momcilovic. Jones has earned a Big 12 Player of the Week award, was named to the Jerry West Award Top 10 List and was named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List along with teammate Keshon Gilbert. He missed the last game with illness.
Speaking of Gilbert, he has been the team's "engine" has taken a leap in his second season as a Cyclone, leading the team in minutes and assists. He has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season, was named to the Bob Cousy Award Top 10 and was named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List with teammate Curtis Jones. He missed last game with a lower-body injury.
A Preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection, Tamin Lipsey has been the glue of Iowa State's team. A known defensive menace, Lipsey leads the team in steals and became the school's all-time thief at No. 5 Houston, passing the great Monté Morris for the top spot in school annals.
Saint Mary's transfer Joshua Jefferson has been a revelation for the Cyclones this season. Jefferson leads the team in rebounding, has nine double-doubles and has earned five Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards.
Sophomore wing Milan Momcilovic averages just over 10 points per game and shoots the 3-ball at the highest clip on the team at 41.2 percent. After missing just about a month of game action due to injury, he returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 8 against TCU.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 190-104 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 91-41 record over the last four years.
- ISU is 59-9 in games at Hilton Coliseum under Otz. His 59 home wins during that time are tied for the fifth-most nationally.
Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- He was the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to take a team to the Sweet 16 twice in his first three years on the job.
- Otz will attempt to become the first coach in program history to take a team to the NCAA Tournament in his first four years as coach.
Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 10 for 24 straight weeks, the longest streak in the country.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 8 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 8 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 7 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the 141st all-time meeting between Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
- OSU holds the all-time series edge, 72-68 and is 41-19 against ISU in Stillwater.
- OSU has won seven of the last nine series matchups with ISU.
Okie State was picked to finish 14th in the Preseason Big 12 Poll.
The Cowboys sit right behind the Cyclones in steals and turnovers forced per game, as the two teams lead the league.
The Cowboys are 10-3 on Eddie Sutton Court with all three losses coming to teams currently ranked in the top-10 of the NCAA NET (No. 3 Houston, No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 9 Arizona).
Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz is in his first year at the helm of the Cowboy program, where he is 13-14.
- Overall, Lutz is 82-49 in his four-year head coaching career, which includes stops at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky.
- A San Antonio native, Lutz was a longtime assistant with both Greg McDermott at Creighton and Matt Painter at Purdue before landing his first head coaching gig at TAMUCC in 2021.
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 101 in the NET. The Cowboys are No. 103 in KenPom and No. 106 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Keshon Gilbert

Joshua Jefferson

Curtis Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics