PRIMER: No. 16 Iowa State vs. FDU

Who: Iowa State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. FDU (0-0, 0-0 NEC)

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

When: Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 – 7 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPN+ // Alex Cohen (PxP), Derrin Hansen (Analyst) & Shannon Ehrhardt (Sideline)

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

Tipping Off: After winning an NCAA Tournament game for the third time in four seasons under Coach Otzelberger, the 16th-ranked Cyclones are set to officially open their 2025-26 campaign against the FDU Knights on Monday night. ISU will look to win its eighth-straight home opener, as the Cyclones are 26-1 in season-openers over the last 27 years.

Iowa State unofficially began its season a little over two weeks ago when it played its first of two exhibition contests at Creighton. ISU finished its exhibition slate on Oct. 26 when it downed Northwestern, 80-72. The Cyclones will look to make it to their fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament this season, which would be just the second time in school history that ISU qualified for five-straight postseasons.

In its third season under coach Jack Castleberry, FDU will look to claim its second season-opening win in the last six seasons and first since besting Buffalo on the road in 2023. The Knights will also look to earn their first win over a Power Five opponent since upending 1-seed Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Storylines:

At No. 16 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 33 straight weeks, the seventh-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 107, 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 15 weeks.
Last season, Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger picked up his 25th victory over an AP Top 25 team at Iowa State, passing Johnny Orr for the most in program history. He also earned his fifth NCAA Tournament victory, the most in school history.
- His .679 overall winning percentage and .568 conference winning percentage are both the best in school history.
ISU earned four ranked victories last year, tied for the 10th-most in program history.
Joshua Jefferson tallied 454 points, 259 rebounds, 109 assists, 74 steals and 26 blocks last season. He was the only player in the country with those numbers last season and the 11th since 1974-75 to do so. No player in Big 12 history has ever done it in a season.
Lipsey is averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in his career. He is one of 26 players since 1947-48 to average those numbers in a career while playing at least 100 games. He is one of just 10 from a Power 5 Conference to do so.
- His 237 career steals are the most in program history and the eighth-most in Big 12 history.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 194-108 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 95-45 record over the last four years.
- Otzelberger's 95 wins through his first four seasons are the most 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 years, 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.
Experience won't be lacking for the Cyclones this year. Four of Iowa State's five returners started games for the Cyclones last year, including three who were full-time starters all year. In addition, eight of the 14 players on ISU's roster have at least 22 career starts.
The Cyclones finished last season ranked No. 12 in the NET. Iowa State slotted in at No. 11 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 7 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

FDU will meet Iowa State for the first time in its program's history.
- The Knights are not the only NEC program to visit Ames this season, as Stonehill will also play in Hilton Coliseum later in November.
The Knights return just four players from last season's roster. Those four players (Chidube Ekwommadu, Josiah Francis, Andrew Canda and Raysean Johnson) combined to score just 3.8 points per game.
FDU was picked to finish fifth out of 10 in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll - that's where the team finished in 2024-25.
FDU head coach Jack Castleberry is in his third season at the helm of the Knight basketball program. Castleberry is 28-37 during his time in Hackensack, N.J.
- Castleberry was appointed the ninth coach in FDU history, replacing one-year standout Tobin Anderson, who helped lead the (16) Knights to an upset win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament over (1) Purdue. Castleberry was an assistant on Anderson's staff that year before taking the reins.
- FDU's 16-over-1 upset against Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament was the second in NCAA history.
FDU finished last season ranked No. 306 in the NET. The Knights were No. 349 in KenPom and No. 294 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics