PRIMER: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Arizona State

Who: Iowa State (24-6, 11-6 Big 12) vs. Arizona State (16-14, 7-10 Big 12)

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

When: Saturday, March 7, 2026 – 1 p.m. CT

Watch: FS1 // Noah Reed (PxP) & LaPhonso Ellis (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: Iowa State will close out its regular season on Saturday against Arizona State, celebrating Senior Day. Cyclones that are set to be recognized include: Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder. The five seniors will be recognized in a ceremony 15 minutes prior to tipoff.

The Cyclones will look to get back on track in front of the Hilton faithful, as they have dropped the last two contests to Top 25 teams. ISU dropped its final road game of the season on Monday against No. 2 Arizona.

Arizona State comes into Ames riding the high of a Top 15 upset win over Kansas on Tuesday evening. The win over No. 14 Kansas was Arizona State's second ranked win of the season, as it previously defeated No. 13 Texas Tech.

Game Note: Saturday's game is the regular season finale and Senior Night.
Senior Members of the men's basketball team, spirit squads and pep band will be honored during the game. We ask that those attending dress in the appropriate cardinal or gold attire to help us Stripe Hilton. You can click here to see the seating designations.

Storylines:

Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 49 straight weeks, the fourth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 123, 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 30 weeks.
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 Midseason Top 10 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 25-plus point games so far this season for ISU.
Tamin Lipsey holds the most steals in program history and is in the top three 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 218-114 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 119-51 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 118 wins are the most in the first five years in ISU history.
- Otz is the quickest coach in school history to 100 career wins, doing so in 145 games.
With its home win over No. 2 Houston, Iowa State now has 29 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 four 20-plus win seasons, joining Orr (5) and Hoiberg (4) as the only ISU coaches to do so four-plus times.
Iowa State will look to win 25 or more games for just the seventh time in program history.
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 Thursday, the Cyclones are ranked No. 10 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 9 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 8 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Arizona State and Iowa State and the second as Big 12 foes. ISU is 3-1 against ASU and is a perfect 2-0 in games played in Ames.
- Arizona State is the 15th and final school in the current iteration of the Big 12 to visit Hilton Coliseum as a conference foe. ASU has been to Ames twice before (1976 & 1987), losing both contests by 14 points.
ASU is 53-6 when it shoots 50 percent from the field in a game under Coach Hurley. The Sun Devils are also hard to beat when holding their opponents under 70 points, as the team is 10-0 this season when doing so.
Arizona State big man Massamba Diop is one of the premier defenders in the conference. He has 46 blocks in conference play, averaging 2.7 per game - the second-most of any Big 12 player.
The Sun Devils were picked to finish 16th in the preseason conference poll, a year after finishing 15th with a 4-16 record.
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley is in his 11th year at the helm of the Sun Devil program. Hurley is 184-165 with ASU and is 226-185 overall in his 13-year head coaching career, which began at Buffalo.
- Hurley, the 1992 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, was named the school's 14th head coach in program history in 2015.
As of Thursday, the Sun Devils are ranked No. 65 in the NET. Arizona State is No. 59 in KenPom and No. 82 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Arizona State

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Players Mentioned

Nate Heise

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Eric Mulder

Dominick Nelson

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PRIMER: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Arizona State

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Nate Heise

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