Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) shoots against Lipscomb Bisons guard Gyasi Powell (10) during the first half of a first-round NCAA men’s tournament game at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
MILWAUKEE — Tamin Lipsey’s gone hot and cold.
In terms of therapy, that is.
The Iowa State standout point guard managed to play through the pain of a groin injury in Friday’s 82-55 first-round NCAA Tournament win over 14-seed Lipscomb at the Fiserv Forum, but will immediately return to a strictly adhered to rehabilitation regime in advance of Sunday’s second-round matchup with No. 6 seed Ole Miss.
“A lot of treatment, a lot of heat, a lot of stretching — just whatever (ISU head athletic trainer) Vic (Miller) says,” said Lipsey, who scored 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting for the third-seeded Cyclones (25-9). “But I’ll probably be doing treatment every couple of hours just to keep it feeling good.”
Lipsey made a statement immediately against the Bisons (25-10) driving both left and right for adroitly-finished layups in the first two and a half minutes of the game to give his team a 4-0 lead. He’s nowhere near fully healthy — but rarely is — so will strain to ensure that he remains good to go for Sunday’s second-round matchup with 6-seed Ole Miss.
“It’s a blessing every time you can step on the court,” said Lipsey, who added three rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. “I don’t take it for granted. I think on (that) second layup, I kind of noticed it more than earlier in the game, but, I mean, it is what it is. I’m gonna play through it. It’s not too bad.”
For Lipsey, maybe. His own physical pain rarely supersedes the mental pain of missing time on the court for his hometown Cyclones — and expect that to remain the case however deep his team’s run may be.
“(I) talk all the time, I could talk for hours on what a tremendous young man, leader, character person Tamin is,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who became the program’s all-time leader in NCAA Tournament wins as a coach with five. “We know that he’s going to lay it on the line for his teammates (and) our program every chance he gets.”
MOMCILOVIC’S MOMENT
Milan Momcilovic scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the first half for the Cyclones. His 12 points during a key 14-0 run essentially sealed the win, and his command performance came nearly three years to the day of leading nearby Pewaukee High School to its third straight Wisconsin Class 2 state title.
But does Momcilovic remember how many points he scored that day?
“I want to say 20-something,” he said.
Try 29 points — and it coincided with ISU’s last trip to Milwaukee.
“Milan, truthfully, just took over the game,” Otzelberger said. “You could see his confidence growing once he saw it go through the basket. And then credit to his teammates for doing an unbelievable job of finding him.”
Four difference ISU players recorded assists on Momcilovic’s eight baskets, including Curtis Jones, who added 17 points off the bench.
“I didn’t know that what they call a barrage was coming, but when he gets going, man, any look that he takes, on the move, from 3, mid-range, even the layups — he can heat up quick,” said Jones, who delivered the pass that ignited Momcilovic’s run.
