PRIMER: No. 9 Iowa State vs. UCF

Who: Iowa State (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) vs. UCF (14-3, 3-2 Big 12)

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

When: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 – 6 p.m. CT

Watch: CBS Sports Network // Andrew Catalon (PxP), Steve Lappas (Analyst) & Hailey Sutton (Reporter)

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

Tipping Off: After a two-game road skid, Iowa State will look to steady the ship Tuesday night as it welcomes UCF to Hilton Coliseum. Tuesday's game will be the first home contest for the Cyclones with students in attendance since mid-December. For UCF, Iowa State will be its second top-ten opponent in the last four days.

After starting the year 16-0, Iowa State dropped its second straight game on Saturday at Cincinnati. The loss marked the first time that ISU had ever fallen to the Bearcats in the Queen City. The bright spot for ISU was Milan Momcilovic, who poured in a career-high 34 points in the loss.

UCF saw its two-game conference win streak snapped at the hands of the nation's number one team, Arizona, on Saturday. The Knights will look to earn their second-straight conference road victory against the Cyclones in a building they've never won in before.

Game Note: Level up your game day experience as Hilton Coliseum transforms into a Nintendo-themed Retro Night! We encourage fans to rock their favorite retro video game tee or go all-out as your favorite Nintendo character... think Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, or any 8-bit legend!

Storylines:

At No. 9 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 43 straight weeks, the fifth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 117, 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.
    - He was named to both midseason watch lists for the Wooden and Oscar Robertson Award.
  - 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.
  - He earned his second Big 12 weekly honor, being named to the Starting Five on Jan. 5 after pouring in eight triples against WVU.
- 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 joined Lipsey on both the midseason Watch List for the Wooden and Oscar Robertson Award.
  - 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. He was named to the Starting Five again on Jan. 5 after recording the ninth triple-double in school history against WVU.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 210-110 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 111-47 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 the fifth-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, the Cyclones are ranked No. 10 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 8 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 7 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

UCF will face Iowa State for the fourth time in program history, with all four meetings coming in the last three years. ISU is 3-0 against the Knights and 1-0 in home contests.
In its last road contest, at K-State, UCF snapped an eight-game Big 12 road losing streak.
The Knights made their season debut in the AP Top 25 Poll in Week Nine of the season - their first appearance since 2019.
UCF lost 100% of its scoring from last season and was one of five Power Four teams to not bring back any returning scoring, joining Baylor, Miami, Indiana, and West Virginia.
The Knights were picked to finish 14th out of 16 in the Big 12 men's basketball preseason poll after finishing tied for 12th last season.
UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins is in his tenth season at the helm of the Knight basketball program. Dawkins is 182-123 with UCF and is 338-238 in his 18-year coaching career, which began with an eight-year stint at Stanford.
- Dawkins, a 2023 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, played at Duke (1982-86), where he finished his four-year career as the school's all-time leading scorer and the national player of the year after his senior campaign before heading to the NBA for a nine-year career.
UCF is ranked No. 35 in the NET. The Knights are No. 43 in KenPom and No. 53 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics