CHICAGO – The 2025-26 Iowa State men’s basketball season reached its conclusion on the evening of Friday, March 27, 2026, as the sixth-ranked Cyclones fell to No. 23 Tennessee in a 76-62 Sweet 16 battle. Playing in front of a packed crowd in Chicago, Iowa State finishes a remarkable campaign with a 29-8 overall record. While the first half was a tightly contested, back-and-forth affair that saw the Cyclones claw back to within a point at the break, the Volunteers utilized a massive second-half surge and a dominant physical presence inside to pull away and end Ames’ championship hopes.
The glaring absence of All-American Joshua Jefferson proved to be a hurdle too high for Iowa State’s shorthanded frontcourt to clear. Tennessee exploited their size advantage to devastating effect, winning the rebounding battle by a staggering 43-22 margin. Of those boards, 16 were on the offensive glass, leading to 14 second-chance points and 42 points in the paint. The Volunteer frontline duo of Felix Okpara and Jaylen Carey was particularly effective, combining for 23 points and 20 rebounds. Despite forcing 17 Tennessee turnovers, the Cyclones struggled to find their offensive rhythm, shooting just 39 percent from the field and a cold 22 percent from beyond the arc.
Seniors Tamin Lipsey and Nate Heise led the way for Iowa State in their final collegiate appearances, each scoring a team-high 18 points and grabbing five rebounds. Lipsey, the hometown standout from Ames, capped off a legendary career by adding five assists and a steal, setting a new program record for the most steals in a single NCAA Tournament with six. On this milestone-heavy night of March 27, 2026, Lipsey also eclipsed 1,500 career points and 600 assists, finishing his tenure as a Cyclone ranked fourth in program history for career assists and 15th in all-time scoring. Fellow senior Nate Heise also reached personal benchmarks, surpassing 1,300 career points and 700 rebounds during the contest.
The game also served as a final showcase for the record-breaking nature of the 2025-26 squad, which became the first in Iowa State history to eclipse 3,000 points in a single season, finishing with 3,033. Sophomore star Milan Momcilovic, though held to six points, tied the school record for career three-pointers in the NCAA Tournament with 19 and moved into 14th place for most points in a single season. While the loss marks a bittersweet end for a team that saw Lipsey and Momcilovic become two of only six Cyclones to ever play in multiple Sweet 16s, the program heads into the offseason having solidified its status as a perennial national contender.
