PRIMER: No. 15 Iowa State vs. Creighton

Who: Iowa State (5-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Creighton (3-2, 0-0 BIG EAST)

Where: Michelob Ultra Arena (12,000) – Las Vegas, Nev.

When: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 – 1 p.m. CT

Watch: truTV // JB Long (PxP), Candace Parker (Analyst) & Autumn Johnson (Sideline)

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

Tipping Off: After facing Creighton a little over a month ago in an exhibition at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, the Cyclones and Bluejays will meet again in Vegas in each side's second contest at the Players Era Championship. The only difference this time is that the result will count.

Iowa State enters its second contest of the tournament having won on opening day against fellow Big East school St. John's. The Cyclones and 14th-ranked Red Storm battled, but it was ultimately ISU who came away with an 83-82 win.

Creighton will face its second-consecutive Big 12 school in Vegas on Tuesday, as it opened the tournament facing off with Baylor. The Bluejays never led against the Bears, falling to BU by a score of 81-74.

Storylines:

At No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 36 straight weeks, the seventh-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 110, 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 15 weeks.
The Cyclones had three players named to the Naismith Starting Five Preseason Watch lists. Iowa State was one of nine schools in the country to have at least three players named. Along with three selections on the women's side, ISU was one of just five schools in the country to have at least six combined selections.
- Tamin Lipsey was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List.
  - Lipsey is also on both the Wooden Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch Lists.
- Milan Momcilovic was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
- Joshua Jefferson was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List. Former Cyclone Georges Niang won the award in 2016.
  - Jefferson, like Lipsey, is also on the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 199-108 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 100-45 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.
- 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.
Under Otz, ISU is 53-10 against non-conference opponents. His 53 wins are the tenth-most in the nation, and the .841 winning percentage is the fourth-best.
With the win over St. John's, Iowa State has 26 wins over top 25 teams since Otzelberger took over (2021-22). That is tied for the fourth-most in the nation during that stretch.
Otz has led Iowa State to three 20-plus win seasons, joining Orr (5), Hoiberg (4), Floyd (3) and Prohm (3) as only ISU coaches to do so multiple 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 Monday night, Iowa State slots in at No. 10 in the KenPom rankings and No. 6 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Creighton and Iowa State will meet for the 33rd time on Tuesday afternoon.
- Iowa State is 17-15 all-time against the Bluejays and is 7-0 against them since 1990-91 – only trailing its 8-0 record against Mississippi Valley State for its most wins without a loss against any opponent during that span.
- The two teams played earlier this preseason in Omaha, with the Bluejays taking the contest 71-58.
Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the previous 12 seasons (entering 2025-26).
- On a national basis, the only teams with a top-25 win each of the previous 12 seasons (entering 2025-26) are Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas Tech, Villanova, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Creighton was picked to finish third in the preseason BIG EAST poll, behind nationally ranked St. John's and UConn.
In McDermott's tenure, CU is 38-13 in regular-season tournament action with five titles in 15 completed events.
- The team's last tourney title came in 2018 as part of the Cayman Islands Classic.
Creighton was dealt some unfortunate news over the weekend, as contributor Jackson McAndrews was announced to be missing the remainder of the season with injury.
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is in his 16th season at the helm of the Bluejay basketball program. McDermott is 353-173 during his time in Omaha.
- McDermott used to coach at both UNI and Iowa State and holds a 633-368 all-time coaching mark.
- McDermott hired Coach Otzelberger as an assistant coach when he was the head man at Iowa State. ISU assistant Erik Crawford was also on staff.
- ISU assistant Kyle Green was on McDermott's staff at UNI, while Garrett played for McDermott at ISU.
As of Monday night, Creighton is No. 54 in the KenPom rankings and No. 47 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 15 Iowa State vs. Creighton

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PRIMER: No. 15 Iowa State vs. Creighton

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