PRIMER: No. 8 Iowa State vs. Colorado

Who: Iowa State (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) vs. Colorado (12-8, 2-5 Big 12)

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

When: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 – 6 p.m. CT

Watch: FS1 // Tim Brando (PxP) & Nick Bahe (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: Iowa State is set to wrap January play this Thursday, as it welcomes Colorado to Hilton Coliseum for the second straight season. Last year, ISU and CU met three times, with the Cyclones taking all three matchups.

After dropping two in a row, Iowa State has now won two in a row as it enters Thursday night's tilt coming off a road win in Stillwater. The Cyclones raced out to a 30-point halftime lead, powered by Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, as the team earned its third road win of the season.

Colorado began the Big 12 season 2-0, downing both Arizona State and Utah, but has since lost five straight. The Buffs are coming off back-to-back home setbacks to both No. 19 Kansas and UCF. CU will look to end January on a high note before opening February play at home against TCU.

Storylines:

At No. 8 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 44 straight weeks, the fifth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 118, 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 25 weeks.
The Cyclones started the season 16-0, the best start in school history. ISU moved to 18-2 for the first time in program history as it's the best mark through 20 games by a Cyclone team.
In five seasons under Coach Otzelberger, the Cyclones have been known for their defense, as they have ranked as a top-15 unit in the country each year, and 2025-26 is no different (according to KenPom defensive rating).
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 six 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 212-110 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 113-47 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.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 7 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:

Colorado will face Iowa State for the 152nd time in program history, with ISU holding an 81-70 all-time advantage.
- The Cyclones are 48-18 at home against CU and have won the last four meetings.
- Colorado 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 Oklahoma State (143).
Colorado has already matched its win total from last season, just over halfway through the year.
The Buffaloes top the Big 12 and are 25th in the nation in free-throw shooting at 77.2 percent.
The Buffs are 0-2 this season when facing ranked foes. Last season, Colorado squared off with nine teams in the Top 25 and six in the Top 10.
The Buffaloes were picked to finish 15th out of 16 in the Big 12 men's basketball preseason poll after finishing 16th last season.
Colorado head coach Tad Boyle is in his 16th season at the helm of the Buffalo basketball program. Boyle is 324-212 with CU and is 380-278 in his 20-year coaching career, which began with a four-year stint at Northern Colorado.
- Boyle is the winningest coach in Colorado's program history.
- He owns the second-best winning percentage in team history with at least four seasons coached at .606, trailing Forrest "Frosty" Cox who was 147-89 (.623) from 1936-50.
Colorado is ranked No. 82 in the NET. The Buffaloes are No. 82 in KenPom and No. 96 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 8 Iowa State vs. Colorado

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics

PRIMER: No. 8 Iowa State vs. Colorado

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Related Videos

Sponsors