This will be just the second meeting J all-time between the Cyclones and the Phoenix and the first in nearly 40 years. Iowa State defeated Green Bay 74-57 in Hilton Coliseum Dec. 4, 1986.
T.J. Otzelberger has never faced the Phoenix and neither has any current Cyclone player. Otzelberger is 11-2 as J a head coach against members of the Horizon League.
Iowa State’s schedule features 31 games again this season. The slate features 18 home games, including nine non- conference contests. The slate includes at least 12 games against 2023 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. J
One of the nation’s toughest venues, Iowa State will play 18 games in Hilton Coliseum. Entering its 53rd year of play, Iowa State owns a .742 winning percentage with 595 wins at Hilton.
Iowa State has 15 players on its roster this season, including nine newcomers. J The Cyclones have two walk-ons on the roster and two players intend to redshirt this season in Jelani Hamilton and JT Rock.
Tamin Lipsey is the only returning full- time starter, having started all 33 games last year. Tre King started five games last year, while Robert Jones started four games.
Under Otzelberger, Iowa State is 24-5 against non-conference opponents. The 24 wins is tied for the 10th-most in the country and the .828 winning percentage is tied for the ninth-best in the nation.
Lipsey, a unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection, averaged 7.3 points, 4.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.45 turnovers per game last year. He was one of two players in the country to average those numbers and just the ninth in the last 10 years to do so.
Iowa State led the nation with six wins over AP Top 10 schools last season. The Cyclones were one of two teams to have eight or more wins against AP Top 25 teams, as Texas (10) and Iowa State (9) led the country. The nine AP Top 25 victories were tied for the most in school history in a season.
For the third-straight year, ISU played the eventual National Champion (UConn) last season. Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Villanova are the only three schools have that done so each of the past three seasons. Baylor (2021), Kansas (2022) and UConn (2023) have won the last three national titles.
Iowa State held all but one (Texas Tech- Overtime) Big 12 opponent below its season scoring average last season. That total included holding No. 8 Kansas to 53 points, the lowest conference total under Bill Self. The Cyclones held their opponents to a league-best 62.6 points per game last season.
