NCAA Tournament Primer: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Tennessee State

Friday, March 20

St. Louis, Mo.

1:50 PM

Iowa State

Tennessee State

Photo by: Jeff Spaur

NCAA Tournament Primer: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Tennessee State

03.18.2026 | Men's Basketball

Watch Listen Live Stats ISU Notes

Who: [2] Iowa State (27-7, 12-6 Big 12) vs. [15] Tennessee State (30-2, 16-2 Big 12)

Where: Enterprise Center (18,096) – St. Louis, Mo.

When: Friday, March 13, 2026 – 1:50 p.m. CT

Watch: CBS // Spero Dedes (PxP), Jim Spanarkel (Analyst) & Jon Rothstein (Reporter)

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

Tipping Off: For the 25th time in school history and the fifth time in as many seasons under T.J. Otzelberger, the Iowa State men's basketball team has earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Otz is the first coach in school history to lead the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament in their first five seasons at the helm.

The Cyclones enter the tournament having dropped their last outing against No. 2 Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Coach Otzelberger already has the most wins in the NCAA Tournament by an ISU coach (5) and will look to add more starting Friday.

Tennessee State will be making its third-ever trip to the dance and first since 1994, ending a 32-year drought. The Tigers, the champions of the OVC, won both the regular season and conference tournament titles under first-year coach Nolan Smith.

Storylines:

Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 51 straight weeks, the fourth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 125, 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 30 weeks.
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 honored in the Big 12 postseason awards. Joshua Jefferson was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, Milan Momcilovic to the Second Team, and Tamin Lipsey earned All-Defensive, Second Team and Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
Joshua Jefferson has recorded two triple-doubles this season, tied for the most in the country.
- He has been named a finalist for the Karl Malone award.
- 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.
- Jefferson has earned multiple All-American honors after the regular season's conclusion, most notably being named a Second Team AP All-American.
Milan Momcilovic has been the nation's best marksman this season, as the junior leads the country in 3-point percentage.
- He has been named a finalist for the Julius Erving award.
- 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 three 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 221-115 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 122-52 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 then earned his 200th win over his mentor and former head coach Greg McDermott on Nov. 25.
- His 118 wins are the most in the first five years in ISU history.
- Otz is the quickest coach in school history to 100 career wins, doing so in 145 games.
With its Big 12 Tournament win over No. 16 Texas Tech, Iowa State now has 30 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.
Iowa State has won 25 or more games for just the seventh time in program history.
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. 6 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 fifth all-time meeting between Iowa State and Tennessee State. The Cyclones lead the all-time series, 4-0, with all previous meetings coming in Ames.
Tennessee State became the first historically Black college to win a national basketball championship, capturing the 1957 NAIA national title under legendary coach John McLendon.
Tennessee State's only previous Division I NCAA Tournament appearances came in back-to-back seasons in 1993 and 1994, when the Tigers won consecutive OVC Tournament championships.
Tennessee State has won nine of its last ten outings, and averages both more rebounds and steals than the Cyclones.
Going into the season, Tennessee State was picked to finish fourth in the OVC with one first-place vote.
- TSU saw two players, Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper II, named to the All-OVC First Team.
Tennessee State Head Coach Nolan Smith is in his First year at the helm of the Tiger program. Smith is a first-time head coach, spending the previous nine seasons as an assistant coach.
- Smith was an assistant coach at Duke (2016-22), Louisville (2022-24) and Memphis (2024-25).
- Smith played collegiately at Duke, where he was one of the most decorated guards in Duke history, helping lead the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA National Championship. He was named the 2011 ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, and a consensus First-Team All-American.
As of Wednesday, the Tigers are ranked No. 172 in the NET. Arizona is No. 186 in KenPom and No. 206 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.