Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #2 Houston on February 16, 2026 , Win , 70, to, 67
Final
Men's Basketball
70
#2 Houston
67
Iowa State University Athletics
Photo by: LUKE LU @KL6PHOTO
Cyclone Trio Named Semifinalists For Naismith National Awards
03.20.2026 | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA, Ga. – Iowa State seniors Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey, along with head coach T.J. Otzelberger, have been named semifinalists for three of the Naismith Awards.
Jefferson is a semifinalist for the Naismith National Player of the Year, while Lipsey is a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Otzelberger is a semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award. All three are among the 10 semifinalists for each award.
Jefferson, the fifth consensus All-American in program history, continues to be Mr. Do-It-All for the Cyclones. He is the first player in Big 12 history to turn in multiple triple-doubles in Big 12 play. He's averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He's the only Power Conference player in the country to average those numbers. Only five players have done so in an entire season in the country going back to 1974-75, with no one in the Big 12 having accomplished it. Jefferson has scored in double figures in all 34 games this season, the third-most games in double figures in a season in school history. His streak of 40-straight games going back to last season ranks as the second-longest in the nation. His 167 assists this season are tied for the 19th-most in program history, while his 276 over the last two seasons are the 18th-most in program history for a career.
Lipsey, a three-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection, is averaging 13.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He is the only Power Conference player in the country to average those numbers and the first Cyclone to do so since Tyrese Haliburton in 2019-20. His 3.47 assist-to-turnover ratio is the seventh-best in school history, while his 2.19 steals per game is ninth in school history. He ranks 11th in school history with 68 steals this season, while his five games with five-plus steals are the most in school history. One of the best Cyclones of all-time, Lipsey is the Iowa State career leader in steals with 305, while he ranks sixth in assists with 585. His 134 career starts are the most in program history, while his 96 career wins are the fifth-most in program history.
The Cyclones return to action Friday, as second-seeded Iowa State faces 15th-seeded Tennessee State in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis. Tipoff is set for 1:50 p.m. on CBS.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballIowa State Previews Tennessee State (NCAA First Round)
Thursday, March 19
Tennessee State Previews Iowa State (NCAA First Round)
Thursday, March 19
TJ Otzelberger 3_18_26 interview
Wednesday, March 18
Killyan Toure 3_18_26 interview
Wednesday, March 18
