PRIMER: No. 3 Iowa State vs. West Virginia

Who: Iowa State (13-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. West Virginia (9-4, 0-0 Big 12)

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

When: Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 – 8 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPN+ // Eric Rothman (PxP) & King McClure (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: After going unbeaten in non-conference play for the third time in the modern era (2013-14, 2021-22), Iowa State is set to open Big 12 play Friday evening as it welcomes West Virginia to Ames to kick off 2026. The Cyclones and Mountaineers will be the first game of the Big 12 season, with the remaining 14 teams opening conference action on Saturday.

Iowa State enters Friday's contest having downed Houston Christian on Monday evening. The win over the Huskies marked the school-record 42nd-straight non-conference home win for the Cyclones. A 14th consecutive win would tie the best start in program history.

Winners of two of its last three games, West Virginia will face ISU coming off 10 days' rest. WVU last played on Dec. 22 when it downed Mississippi Valley State by 35 points. In five games against Power Conference teams this season, West Virginia is 1-4.

Storylines:

At No. 3 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 40 straight weeks, the fifth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 114, 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 20 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.
  - Lipsey has picked up a pair of weekly conference awards, as he was named to the Big 12 Starting Five on both 11/17 and 11/24.
- Milan Momcilovic was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
  - Momcilovic earned his first Big 12 weekly honor on Dec. 8, as he was named Big 12 Player of the Week after scoring a team-high 20 points in ISU's road win at No. 1 Purdue.
- 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.
  - Jefferson was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 1 for his performance in his home city of Las Vegas, where he averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists across three games.
  - Jefferson became just the third player in the last 30 years to record consecutive 10-plus assist, zero turnover games (Syracuse & Alcorn State).
  - Jefferson was named to the Big 12 Starting Five on 12/30, picking up his second conference weekly award.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 207-108 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 108-45 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.
- 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 road win over No. 1 Purdue, Iowa State now has 27 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.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 4 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 3 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 6 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

West Virginia and Iowa State will face off for the 26th time this evening to open Big 12 play. The Mountaineers hold a 15-10 all-time advantage over ISU and have a 5-7 record in Hilton. All 25 previous meetings came as Big 12 foes.
WVU returned zero percent of its scoring and minutes played from the 2024-25 season. Abraham Oyeadier is the only returner.
Friday's game will feature two of the most dominant defenses in the country, as both WVU and ISU rank in the top 10 of scoring defenses. WVU is fifth, allowing 60.2 ppg, while ISU is 10th, allowing 63.0 ppg. Hodge's teams have held opponents to 70 or less in 32 of the last 35 contests.
The Mountaineers were picked to finish 11th out of 16 in the Big 12 men's basketball preseason poll after finishing tied for seventh last season.
West Virginia Head Coach Ross Hodge is in his first season coaching the Mountaineers and owns a 9-4 record during his time in Morgantown, W. Va.
- The 24th coach in WVU history, Hodge had just two years of NCAA Division I head coaching experience at North Texas before taking over the Mountaineer program. During his tenure as a head coach over the last three years, Hodge holds an all-time record of 55-28.
- Hodge's replacement at North Texas was former ISU assistant coach Daniyal Robinson. Robinson, who was an assistant under both Steve Prohm and T.J. Otzelberger from 2015-22, spent the last three years coaching Cleveland State.
West Virginia is ranked No. 90 in the NET. The Mountaineers are No. 65 in KenPom and No. 40 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 3 Iowa State vs. West Virginia

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PRIMER: No. 3 Iowa State vs. West Virginia

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