PRIMER: No. 18 Iowa State vs. Southern Miss

Who: Iowa State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Southern Miss (1-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Where: Hilton Coliseum (14,267) – Ames, Iowa
When: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 – 7 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+ // BJ Schaben (PxP), Derrin Hansen (Analyst), Abby Altman (sideline)
Listen: Cyclone Radio Network // Chris Williams (PxP), Jacy Holloway (Analyst)

Tipping Off:
After opening the season in Sioux Falls on Monday, Iowa State returns to the confines of Hilton Coliseum for its home-opening contest against Southern Miss. The Cyclones are 24-1 in their last 25 home-openers and have won eight in a row.

For the first time since 2017, Iowa State dropped its season-opener, as it fell to Memphis on a neutral site at the Sanford Pentagon earlier this week. It marks the first time that a T.J. Otzelberger-coached ISU squad has had a losing record.

USM enters the contest having won its season-opener against Tougaloo. The Golden Eagles have now won 11 consecutive home openers. Two players finished in double figures as 13 Golden Eagles scored against Tougaloo.

Storylines:

At No. 18 in the 2026-27 preseason AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the 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. It is the second-longest streak in school history behind the 61 weeks from 2014-17.
Under Coach Otzelberger, the Cyclones have been known for their defense, as they have ranked as a top-15 unit in the country each of the last six years, finishing ranked fifth in 2025-26.
Under Otz, ISU is 63-12 against non-conference opponents. His 63 wins are tied for the eighth-most in the nation, and his .840 winning percentage is the fourth-best
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.
Killyan Toure was named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List.
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 223-117 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 124-54 record during his time in Ames.
- 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.
As of Thursday, Iowa State slots in at No. 12 in the KenPom rankings and No. 5 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

The Cyclones and Golden Eagles have met four times before, with ISU holding a 4-0 advantage in the series. The last meeting, Nov. 19, 2019, featured a 73-45 ISU win.
Southern Miss was picked to finish seventh out of 14 in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll, a year after finishing fifth, receiving two first-place votes.
Senior guard Isaac Tavares was selected as the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year by the league's head coaches and earned a spot on the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team.
Southern Miss owns seven wins over AP Top-25 teams in the program's history. Coach Ladner is 1-5 against ranked foes, earning his lone upset victory over No. 19 James Madison in 2024.
Southern Miss Head Coach Jay Ladner is in his eighth year at the helm of the Golden Eagle program. Ladner owns a 172-215 all-time head coaching record, which began at Southeastern (2014-19) and is 96-127 during his time in Hattiesburg, Miss.
- Ladner is one of 50 DI coaches coaching at their alma mater.
- Ladner, a Southern Miss alum ('88), played both baseball and basketball during his time in school. He helped lead his alma mater to a Sun Belt regular season championship in 2022-23 when he was also named SBC Coach of the Year.
As of Thursday, Southern Miss is No. 236 in the KenPom rankings and No. 223 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

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Tamin Lipsey

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