PRIMER: No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Houston

Who: Iowa State (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) vs. Houston (23-2, 11-1 Big 12)

Where: Hilton Coliseum (14,267) – Ames, Iowa

When: Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 – 8 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPN // Jon Sciambi (PxP), Fran Fraschilla (Analyst) & Angel Gray (sideline)

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

Tipping Off: The Cyclones will look to earn their second Top 10 win in the last three days Monday evening, as they welcome Houston to Hilton Coliseum for a Big Monday showdown.

Iowa State opened the weekend with a drubbing of No. 9 Kansas Saturday afternoon, besting the Jayhawks by 18 points. The win marked Coach Otzelberger's 28th win over a ranked opponent at Iowa State.

Winners of 17 of its last 18 outings, Houston comes to Ames on a six-game winning streak. The Cougars have won their last six contest by an average of 15.7 points, and they currently sit alone at the top of the Big 12 standings.

Game Note: Monday night's game against Houston is a GOLD RULES game. We ask that all Cyclone fans in attendance wear their best gold Cyclone attire.

Storylines:

At No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 46 straight weeks, the fifth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 120, which is the longest streak in the country.
- The Cyclones and Cougars are the only two Big 12 schools to have streaks of at least 25 weeks.
- ISU has been in the AP Top 5 for 27 weeks in program history, with 18 coming under Coach Otzelberger.
The Cyclones started the season 16-0, the best start in school history. ISU is now 22-3 for the third time in program history as it's tied for the best mark through 25 games by a Cyclone team.
In five seasons under Coach Otzelberger, the Cyclones have been known for their defense, as they have ranked as a top-15 unit in the country each year, and 2025-26 is no different (according to KenPom defensive rating).
The Cyclones had three players named to the Naismith Starting Five Midseason Top 10 Watch lists – Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson.
Joshua Jefferson has recorded two triple-doubles this season, tied for the most in the country.
- Jefferson became the first player in program history to have multiple triple-doubles in a career.
- He is just the third Big 12 player with multiple triple-doubles, but is the first to accomplish both in conference games.
Milan Momcilovic has been the nation's best marksman this season, as the junior leads the country in 3-point percentage.
- Momcilovic has six 25-plus point games so far this season for ISU.
Tamin Lipsey holds the most steals in program history and is in the top four in Big 12 history for career steals.
- He holds the most wins against Big 12 opponents by any active player.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 216-111 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 117-48 record over the last four years.
- He earned his 100th win at Iowa State against HOF coach Rick Pitino and No. 14 St. John's in the Players Era Championship opener on Nov. 24.
  - He was the quickest coach in school history to 100 career wins, doing so in 145 games.
- He then earned his 200th win over his mentor and former head coach Greg McDermott on Nov. 25.
- His 95 wins in his first four years at Iowa State were the most by any coach in program history in their first four years as head coach.
With its home win over No. 9 Kansas, Iowa State now has 28 wins over top 25 teams since Otzelberger took over (2021-22). That is the fifth-most in the nation during that stretch.
Otz has led Iowa State to four 20-plus win seasons, joining Orr (5) and Hoiberg (4) as the only ISU coaches to do so four-plus times.
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.
- In four postseason appearances, Otzelberger has five NCAA Tournament wins – the most by any coach in program history.
Otz currently holds the school's highest winning percentage by a head coach.
As of Wednesday, the Cyclones are ranked No. 8 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 6 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 6 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the 11th all-time meeting between Iowa State and Houston. The all-time series is tied at five apiece, and the teams have split the last four meetings.
- ISU is 3-1 against Houston at home, with the lone loss coming back in 1988.
- This will be just the second meeting between the teams in Hilton as members of the Big 12.
Houston guard Emanuel Sharp became the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers made, draining eight against Utah. He sits at 280 all-time.
- He passed Marcus Sasser for the record.
Since 2017-18, Houston has been the nation's winningest team with a 265-46 record. The Cougars also are the nation's winningest team over the last 2+ (89), 3+ (122), 4+ (154), 5+ (181), 6+ (204) and 7+ (238) seasons.
Houston, last year's runner-up, is winning at a better clip than last season. Houston opened 2024-25 3-3 in its first six games but is 23-2 through 25 games in 2025-26.
The Cougars were picked to finish first out of 16 in the Big 12 men's basketball preseason poll after finishing in first place last season.
Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson is in his 12th year at the helm of the Cougar program. Sampson is 322-86 with UH and is 822-356 overall in his 37-year head coaching career, which began at Montana Tech and includes stops at Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana.
- The ninth Head Coach in Houston history, Sampson is one of 16 coaches in NCAA history to lead two-plus different schools to Final Fours.
- Sampson is the second-winningest coach in Houston history.
Houston is ranked No. 4 in the NET. The Cougars are No. 4 in KenPom and No. 3 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Houston

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PRIMER: No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Houston

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