Iowa State Basketball Receives Shocking KenPom Projection

The Iowa State Cyclones have been one of the most consistently productive teams in men’s college basketball under head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Since he took over a team that went 2-22, the Cyclones have qualified for the NCAA tournament in all five seasons he has been at the helm. He has done a wonderful job of bringing in talent that fits his style of play, building a rock-solid floor for the program to build upon.

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Heading into the 2026-27 season, there were some questions about just how good Iowa State would be. There was a lot of production and leadership that had to be replaced, with Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic and Nate Heise all moving on from the program. Also, emerging star Killyan Toure suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out until mid-January.

However, Lipsey is back for a fifth year, which has changed the team’s trajectory in a major way. So much so that the Cyclones are projected to be one of the best teams in the country according to KenPom.

Where did Iowa State land in KenPom preseason rankings?

Iowa State men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks with the media during the university’s men’s basketball media day at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune, USA TODAY Network) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The preseason projections have been revealed by KenPom, and Iowa State comes in at No. 6 with a Net Rating of +28.68. Even more surprising than being ranked that high is that it puts them in only third in the Big 12.

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The Houston Cougars and Arizona Wildcats are both ahead of the Cyclones in the KenPom projections with Net Ratings of +31.66 and +29.73, coming in at Nos. 3 and 5. Otherwise, it is only the Duke Blue Devils (+34.42), Florida Gators (+33.38) and Illinois Fighting Illini (+29.86) that are ahead of Iowa State.

The Cyclones are projected to have the No. 2-ranked defense in the country with a rating of 90.2. Only Houston, with a Defensive Rating of 87.6, is…

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Publish date : 2026-10-13 01:00:00

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