PRIMER: No. 18 Iowa State at Northwestern (exh.)

Who: Iowa State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)

Where: Ryan Arena (7,039) – Evanston, Ill.

When: Sunday, October 25, 2026 – 12 p.m. CT

Watch: B1G+ // Adam Beck (PxP), Sammy Krimstein (Analyst), Anna Watson (sideline)

Listen: Cyclone Radio Network // Evan Wessling (PxP), Derrin Hansen (Analyst)

Tipping Off:
Iowa State will play its second and final public exhibition contest this Sunday, as it heads to Evanston, Illinois, for the return matchup against Northwestern. ISU downed NU in Ames last year, 80-72.

The Cyclones unofficially opened their 2026-27 season last weekend against Creighton, falling just short of pulling off a 19-point comeback victory. Six ISU athletes would go on to finish in double figures, with Jamarion Batemon leading the way with 15 points.

Northwestern, like Iowa State, opened its exhibition campaign with a setback as it fell to Illinois State in Normal last Sunday, 70-64. The Wildcats return just a pair of athletes who faced ISU in last year's exhibition, Phoenix Gill and Angelo Ciaravino.

Storylines:

At No. 18 in the 2026-27 preseason AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 53 straight polls, the third-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 127, 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 35 polls appeared in. It is the second-longest streak in school history behind the 61 polls from 2014-17.
In six 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, finishing ranked fifth in 2025-26.
Iowa State's offense will look to reinvent itself with consensus All-American Joshua Jefferson being drafted by Brooklyn in the first round of the NBA Draft this past summer and Milan Momcilovic transferring to Kentucky.
One constant remains, though, in Tamin Lipsey. The Ames native is back for a fifth season and will once again run the show for Coach Otzelberger.
- Lipsey was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team.
The Cyclones were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, which is voted on by the league's coaches.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 223-116 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 124-53 record over the last five years.
- Otz earned both his 100th win at Iowa State and his 200th as a head coach last season.
- His 118 wins are the most in the first five years in ISU history.
- Otz became the quickest coach in school history to 100 career wins, doing so in 145 games.
Otz has led Iowa State to four 20-plus win seasons, joining Orr (5) and Hoiberg (4) as the only ISU coaches to do so four-plus times.
ISU is 76-11 in games at Hilton Coliseum under Otz. ISU's 76 home wins during that time are tied for the fourth-most nationally
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 five postseason appearances, Otzelberger has seven NCAA Tournament wins – the most by any coach in program history.
Otz currently holds the school's highest winning percentage by a head coach.
- He has led ISU to 30 wins over AP Top 25 teams, the most by an ISU coach in school history.
The Cyclones finished last year ranked No. 7 in the NET. Iowa State slotted in at No. 7 in the KenPom rankings and was No. 7 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the second straight season that Iowa State and Northwestern have faced off in a preseason game.
- The Cyclones and Wildcats have met just twice in the schools' history, with the last meeting coming in Chicago back in 2009.
- ISU is 1-1 all-time against Northwestern in regular-season play, with the lone win coming in the Armory back in 1949.
The Wildcats were picked to finish 16th out of 18 in the preseason Big Ten men's basketball media poll, a year after finishing 15th.
Iowa State forward Tre Singleton spent his freshman season with Northwestern before transferring to Ames over the spring.
- Singleton started in 31 games for the Wildcats as a freshman, averaging 7.6 points with 4.8 rebounds. He owned the second-most boards on the team.
Northwestern has made the NCAA Tournament two times in the past four seasons, coming in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The Wildcats are one of 10 Big Ten teams to make March Madness twice since the 2023 season.
NU Head Coach Chris Collins is in his 14th year at the helm of the Wildcat program. Collins holds a 209-209 all-time head coaching record, spending his entire head coaching career with Northwestern.
- Collins has won the second-most games in Northwestern history, trailing only Naismith Hall of Gamer Butch Lonborg.
- Collins is the third-longest tenure coach in the league, trailing just Tom Izzo (32 seasons) and Matt Painter (21 seasons).
Northwestern finished last season ranked No. 61 in the NET. The Wildcats were No. 58 in KenPom and No. 58 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Jamarion Batemon

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Tre Singleton

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics