PRIMER: No. 2 Iowa State at Cincinnati

Who: Iowa State (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) at Cincinnati (9-8, 1-3 Big 12)

Where: Fifth Third Arena (12,012) – Cincinnati, Ohio

When: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 – 1 p.m. CT

Watch: Peacock & NBC Sports Network // Eric Rothman (PxP) & Brendan Haywood (Analyst)

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

Tipping Off: Coming off its first loss of the season, Iowa State will look to bounce back with its second consecutive road contest as it heads to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats in the teams' lone regular-season meeting.

Last time out, the Cyclones fell at Kansas, snapping their 16-0 start to the season by suffering their first setback. The Cyclones were held to their lowest shooting percentage of the season (.369) in the loss against the Jayhawks.

While ISU suffered its first conference loss, Cincinnati enters Saturday's home game coming off its first Big 12 win against Colorado. After losing its first three conference games by a combined total of ten points, UC downed the Buffaloes at home by 11 to get on the board.

Storylines:

At No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 42 straight weeks, the fifth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 116, 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 20 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.
  - Lipsey is also on both the Wooden Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch Lists.
    - He was named to both midseason watch lists for the Wooden and Oscar Robertson Award.
  - Lipsey has picked up a pair of weekly conference awards, as he was named to the Big 12 Starting Five on both 11/17 and 11/24.
- Milan Momcilovic was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
  - Momcilovic earned his first Big 12 weekly honor on Dec. 8, as he was named Big 12 Player of the Week after scoring a team-high 20 points in ISU's road win at No. 1 Purdue.
  - He earned his second Big 12 weekly honor, being named to the Starting Five on Jan. 5 after pouring in eight triples against WVU.
- Joshua Jefferson was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List. Former Cyclone Georges Niang won the award in 2016.
  - Jefferson, like Lipsey, is also on the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List.
    - Jefferson joined Lipsey on both the midseason Watch List for the Wooden and Oscar Robertson Award.
  - Jefferson was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 1 for his performance in his home city of Las Vegas, where he averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists across three games.
  - Jefferson became just the third player in the last 30 years to record consecutive 10-plus assist, zero turnover games (Syracuse & Alcorn State).
  - Jefferson was named to the Big 12 Starting Five on 12/30, picking up his second conference weekly award. He was named to the Starting Five again on Jan. 5 after recording the ninth triple-double in school history against WVU.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 210-109 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 111-46 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 then earned his 200th win over his mentor and former head coach Greg McDermott on Nov. 25.
- His 95 wins in his first four years at Iowa State were the most by any coach in program history in their first four years as head coach.
With its road win over No. 1 Purdue, Iowa State now has 27 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 three 20-plus win seasons, joining Orr (5), Hoiberg (4), Floyd (3) and Prohm (3) as only ISU coaches to do so multiple times.
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. 6 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 3 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 6 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Cincinnati and Iowa State will face off for the tenth time Saturday afternoon. The Cyclones hold a 5-4 all-time advantage over the Bearcats and have won the last three contests.
- ISU is 2-0 in road contests against Cincy.
- The two teams last faced off in March as ISU downed UC in the Big 12 Championship.
Cincinnati, allowing just 65.9 points per game defensively, ranks eighth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Cincinnati also ranks second in the country in non-steal turnover percentage (10.8%), fifth in opponent offensive rebound percentage (23.6%) and 21st in block percentage (14.7%).
- UC is one of four Big 12 teams (ISU, Arizona and Houston) ranked in the top ten of KenPom's defensive efficiency metrics.
The Bearcats were picked to finish eighth out of 16 in the Big 12 men's basketball preseason poll after finishing tied for 12th last season.
Cincinnati Head Coach Wes Miller is in his fifth season coaching the Bearcats and owns a 91-67 record during his time in the Queen City.
- Miller holds a 276-202 all-time record in his head coaching career, which began at UNC Greensboro, where he spent ten seasons and went 185-135.
Cincinnati is ranked No. 86 in the NET. The Bearcats are No. 56 in KenPom and No. 53 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

PRIMER: No. 2 Iowa State at Cincinnati

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics

PRIMER: No. 2 Iowa State at Cincinnati

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joshua Jefferson

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Related Videos

Sponsors