PRIMER: No. 10 Iowa State at No. 1 Purdue

Who: Iowa State (8-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Purdue (8-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Where: Mackey Arena (14,876) – West Lafayette, Ind.

When: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 – 11 a.m. CT

Watch: CBS // Brad Nessler (PxP) & Bill Raftery (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: The teams with the best regular season, non-conference winning percentage over the last five seasons are set to battle in a colossal non-conference tilt this Saturday, as No. 10 ISU heads to top-ranked Purdue for a top-ten road test. The Cyclones (51-6, 89.5% winning percentage since 2021-22) and Boilermakers (48-3, 94.1 winning percentage since 2021-22) are, as of Thursday, two of 16 remaining undefeated teams.

The Cyclones enter Saturday's showdown on the heels of a historic offensive output against Alcorn State on Wednesday night. ISU set school records for most points scored (132), most 3-pointers made (22) and earned the fifth-largest margin of victory in school history.

Purdue is coming off a Big Ten-opening road win at Rutgers, the first for the Boilermakers since 2022. Purdue will look to start 9-0 for the sixth time since 87 years, as three such starts have come under Coach Painter. Purdue boasts the country's most efficient offense (KenPom) and the nation's best assist/turnover ratio (2.17).

Storylines:

At No. 10 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 37 straight weeks, the seventh-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 111, 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.
  - 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).

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 202-108 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 103-45 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.
Under Otz, ISU is 56-10 against non-conference opponents. His 56 wins are the ninth-most in the nation, and the .848 winning percentage is the fourth-best.
With last week's 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 Tuesday morning, Iowa State slots in at No. 4 in both the KenPom rankings and the ESPN Basketball Power Index, while it is No. 7 in the NET.

Switching Sides:

Purdue will face Iowa State for the sixth time ever on Saturday, holding a 3-2 advantage.
- The last time the two teams met was in the Round of 32 of the 2017 NCAA Tournament when Purdue won by four.
- Saturday's game will be just the second in West Lafayette. The first came in 1987 when Purdue earned a 104-96 win.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll 17 times. Auburn and Houston are next with 11 weeks.
- Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue has been ranked in the AP Top 10 in a nation's-best 66 (of 85) polls. Kansas is second at 65
In the last three seasons, Purdue is 7-1 in top-ten meetings.
- The lone loss came to UConn in the 2024 national championship.
The Boilermakers were voted to win the Big Ten by media members, earning 25 of 28 first place votes.
- It's the third-straight season that Purdue has been picked to finish first.
Purdue, like Iowa State, is one-of-eight schools to rank in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, via KenPom.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter is in his 21st season at the helm of the Boilermaker basketball program. He is 479-215 during his time in West Lafayette, Ind.
- Painter has led his alma mater to great success, as the Boilermakers made the national title game in 2023-24.
- Painter is 12-9 against current members of the Big 12, having beat No. 15 Texas Tech on a neutral floor earlier this season.
Purdue is ranked No. 3 in the NET. The Boilermakers are No. 2 in KenPom and No. 8 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 10 Iowa State at No. 1 Purdue

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics

PRIMER: No. 10 Iowa State at No. 1 Purdue

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Related Videos

Sponsors