PRIMER: No. 9 Iowa State at Oklahoma State

Who: Iowa State (17-2, 4-2 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (14-5, 2-4 Big 12)

Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) – Stillwater, Okla.

When: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 – 2 p.m. CT

Watch: Peacock/NBCSN // John Fanta (PxP) & Tom Crean (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: For the second time in 15 days, Iowa State and Oklahoma State are set to do battle – this time in Stillwater. The Cyclones will look to earn a sweep in the first of three home/away games on the conference docket, while OSU will try to even the season series at one.

The Cyclones snapped a two-game skid last time out, blasting UCF by 30 at Hilton Coliseum. Joshua Jefferson made history by recording his second triple-double as he led ISU to a big win. The Cyclones turned the ball over just five times in the win, the fewest of any game this season.

Oklahoma State has dropped three of its last four outings, including Tuesday's contest at TCU. OSU led by seven points with 4:13 remaining, but the host Horned Frogs finished the game on a 10-0 run, scoring the game-winning basket with less than 10 seconds remaining.

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 started the season 16-0, the best start in school history. It is the third time overall that ISU has been at least 17-2 through 19 games in school history, and the first doing so in back-to-back seasons.
In five seasons under Coach Otzelberger, the Cyclones have been known for their defense, as they have ranked top-15 in the country each year, and 2025-26 is no different.
The Cyclones had three players named to the Naismith Starting Five Preseason Watch lists – Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson.
Joshua Jefferson has recorded two triple-doubles this season, tied for the most in the country.
- Jefferson became the first player in program history to have multiple triple-doubles in a career.
- He is just the third Big 12 player with multiple triple-doubles, but is the first to accomplish both in conference games.
Milan Momcilovic has been the nation's best marksman this season, as the junior leads the country in 3-point percentage.
- Momcilovic has five games of 25-plus points so far this season for ISU.
Tamin Lipsey holds the most steals in program history and is in the top four in Big 12 history for career steals.
- He holds the most wins against Big 12 opponents by any active player.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 211-110 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 112-47 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 was the quickest coach in school history to 100 career wins, doing so in 145 games.
- 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. 6 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 5 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 6 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Oklahoma State and Iowa State will face off for the 143rd time Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys hold a 73-69 all-time advantage over ISU.
- OSU has won eight of the last 11 meetings and three of the last four in Stillwater.
- Oklahoma State is one of just eight schools that Iowa State has faced over 100 times. The others include Kansas (260), K-State (242), Missouri (237), Nebraska (234), Oklahoma (217), Drake (175) and Colorado (151).
OSU is 12-1 at home this season but is still searching for its first ranked win of the year with ninth-ranked ISU coming to town.
The Cowboys were picked to finish 12th out of 16 in the Big 12 men's basketball preseason poll after finishing tied for 12th last season.
Oklahoma State Head Coach Steve Lutz is in his second season coaching the Cowboys and owns a 31-23 record during his time in Stillwater.
- Lutz holds a 100-58 all-time record in his head coaching career, which includes stops at Western Kentucky (22-12) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (47-23).
  - He is one of three active coaches with 100-plus wins in less than five full seasons of experience.
- Prior to becoming a head coach, Lutz was an assistant under Greg McDermott at Creighton (2010-17) and Matt Painter at Purdue (2017-21).
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 73 in the NET. The Cowboys are No. 67 in KenPom and No. 77 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 9 Iowa State at Oklahoma State

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PRIMER: No. 9 Iowa State at Oklahoma State

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