Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey (3) shoots over BYU center Keba Keita (13) at Hilton Coliseum on March 4, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
MILWAUKEE — Tamin Lipsey vowed to do everything in his power to recover from a groin injury and play in the NCAA Tournament.
And by all accounts, Iowa State’s star junior point guard is poised to return to the floor in his third-seeded team’s first round game at 12:30 p.m. Friday against 14-seed Lipscomb at the Fiserv Forum.
“I’m gonna work as hard as I can,” Lipsey said after sustaining the injury late in the Cyclones’ 76-56 Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal win over Cincinnati a week ago in Kansas City.
And now?
“Each day there’s been improvement,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said Wednesday shortly after his team (24-9) landed in Milwaukee to prepare for its TNT-televised matchup with the Atlantic Sun champion Bisons (25-9). “Today he was engaged with practice — not as much in the live (drills) and that sort of thing. He’ll take a more active role in practice (on Thursday), but he’s done a great job every day. He and (head athletic trainer) Vic (Miller) in the training room, the work that they’ve done, he’s really in a great rhythm shooting the basketball.”
As expected, guard Keshon Gilbert did not travel with the team after Otzelberger announced he was done for the season because of issues pertaining to a chronic muscle strain that lingered for several weeks. That makes Lipsey’s likely return — though his minutes may be somewhat limited — extra important, but several other Cyclones have fulfilled larger roles while Gilbert shuffled in and out of the lineup.
“What you’ve seen is Joshua (Jefferson’s) stepped up,” said Otzelberger, whose team seeks to advance to at least the second weekend for the third time in his four seasons at the helm. “Milan (Momcilovic’s) taken a more active role in terms of attacking and getting to spots offensively. Nate Heise’s playing with confidence. Dishon (Jackson’s) had some really big moments and scored the ball — and I think Tamin down the stretch of the season is playing his best basketball.”
The same could be said of leading scorer Curtis Jones, who’s averaging 3.5 made 3-pointers in his past four games — and shooting 95 percent from the free-throw line (19 of 20) in the same span.
“Curt, he knows the light is green,” Otzelberger said. “Very green. There’s no such thing as a bad 3 when he can get it off, and it’s just important that he continues to get to his spots on his floaters, get to the rim, get to the foul line, play with tremendous efficiency, which is what he’s done.”
As for Lipsey, Otzelberger’s excited to see how much healthier he can become over the next 24 to 48 hours to keep his rapid healing process on track.
“I would say that each day he’s progressed noticeably well,” Otzelberger said. “Excited for that continued progression these next few days going into the game.”
So are Lipsey’s teammates, of course. They’ve seen him play through countless injuries and are convinced he can successfully navigate this one, as well.
“I was watching him working out today and (he) looks great,” said ISU’s third-leading offensive rebounder Brandton Chatfield. “(That) just makes me happy. I know he’s gonna be doing really well.”
SCOUTING LIPSCOMB
The Bisons rank among the top 15 nationally in free throw percentage (79.7, tied for fifth) and fewest turnovers per game (9.5, 14th). They also score 37.1 percent of their points from the 3-point line and get quality looks while playing at a slower-than-average pace.
“They really space the floor,” Otzelberger said. “Highly skilled team.”
6-8 forward Jacob Ognacevic spearheads Lipscomb’s attack. The senior from Sheboygan, Wis., is averaging 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He also shoots 40 percent from beyond the arc and presents a mismatch problem for the Cyclones.
“Great in terms of the mid-range, getting his shot, shoots it well from 3,” Otzelberger said. “He really gets their offense going.”
The Bisons aren’t as efficient defensively, ranking 101st nationally in that measure by KenPom, but they do keep opposing teams off the offensive glass.
“They have a very clear identity,” Otzelberger said. “They play with a lot of purpose.”
