PRIMER: No. 16 Iowa State vs. Mississippi State

Who: Iowa State (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Mississippi State (1-0, 0-0 SEC)

Where: Sanford Pentagon (3,250) – Sioux Falls, S.D.

When: Monday, Nov. 10, 2025 – 7 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPNU // Pete Sousa (PxP) & Tim Welsh (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: Coming off back-to-back home wins at home in the opening week of the 2025-26 season, No. 16 Iowa State will play its first competition away from Hilton Monday evening against Mississippi State in Sioux Falls, S.D. It will be ISU's first time playing a non-conference game at the Sanford Pentagon since 2015 when the Cyclones downed Colorado, 69-62.

Iowa State opened the 2025-26 campaign with emphatic wins in its opening week, downing both FDU and Grambling State by an average score of 39 points. That's the second-largest average margin of victory in the team's first two games in the T.J. Otzelberger era.

Mississippi State will take on ISU in its second game of the season, traveling to Sioux Falls to compete in its northernmost contest of the season. The Bulldogs defeated North Alabama at home on Wednesday, beating the Lions by a score of 86-63. After leading by just one at halftime, MSU would go on to outscore UNA by 23 in the second stanza.

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.
The Cyclones had three players named to the Naismith Starting Five Preseason Watch lists. Iowa State was one of nine schools in the country to have at least three players named. Along with three selections on the women's side, ISU was one of just five schools in the country to have at least six combined selections.
- Tamin Lipsey was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List.
- Milan Momcilovic was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
- Joshua Jefferson was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List. Former Cyclone Georges Niang won the award in 2016.
A Preseason All-Big 12 Team selection, Tamin Lipsey has shown no rust in the early part of the season after missing time in the preseason with an injury.
- Lipsey has recorded five-plus steals in both contests this season, placing him in sole possession of the second-most five-plus steal games in school history.
Junior wing Milan Momcilovic started his third collegiate season with a bang against FDU, dropping a career-high 29 points.
- As part of his 29 points, Momcilovic canned a personal best seven 3-pointers, tying for the 10th most 3-pointers made in a game by a Cyclone.
The ever-versatile Joshua Jefferson opened the year with 14 points and grabbed a game-high 10 boards, his 10th career double-double as a Cyclone.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 196-108 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 97-45 record over the last four years.
- Otzelberger's 97 wins through his first five seasons are the most in program history.
Under Otz, ISU is 50-10 against non-conference opponents. His 50 wins are tied for the eighth-most in the nation and the .833 winning percentage is the sixth-best.
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 Friday, Iowa State slots in at No. 12 in the KenPom rankings and No. 7 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Mississippi State and Iowa State will meet for the fourth time on Monday night, and for the first time since 2021.
- The Bulldogs are 3-0 all-time against the Cyclones, winning a pair of games in Starkville and once in Ames.
- Mississippi State is one of three teams all-time that ISU has played three or more times in school history without registering a win (Kentucky& Ohio State).
Last year, Mississippi State qualified for the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season.
- It is the third time in MSU history that the team made three consecutive tournaments.
MSU point guard Josh Hubbard has racked up the accolades for the Bulldogs, as he backed it with a season-opening performance of 27 points.
- Hubbard was an All-SEC First Team preseason member, was named to the Bob Cousy Watch List, is a Naismith Trophy candidate and was selected to the Oscar Robertson Preseason Watch List.
MSU was picked to finish ninth out of 16 in the SEC Preseason Media Poll, exactly where it finished in 2024-25.
Bulldog head coach Chris Jans is in his fourth season at the helm of the Mississippi State basketball program. He is 64-40 during his time in Starkville.
- In ten years of coaching, Jans holds a 207-84 overall record, which includes stops at New Mexico State and Bowling Green.
- Jans is an Iowa native, as he grew up in Fairbank and attended Loras College. He has also spent time as an assistant coach at both Grand View and Kirkwood.
As of Friday, Mississippi State is No. 28 in the KenPom rankings and No. 28 in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 16 Iowa State vs. Mississippi State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics

PRIMER: No. 16 Iowa State vs. Mississippi State

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Related Videos

Sponsors