Jan 2, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) and Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) celebrate during the game with the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
OKOBOJI, Iowa — The way Iowa State spreads the floor with multiple players capable of making long-range shots, combined with the Cyclones’ often-suffocating defense creating extra offensive possessions and T.J. Otzelberger’s team quickly and pinpoint swinging the ball from side to side …
It’s like someone is being set up for a triple-double every time the Cyclones walk onto a court.
Like Joshua Jefferson during Friday night’s 80-59 shelling of West Virginia, when the 6-foot-9, multipositional senior scored 10 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. One of those assists included a behind-the-back bounce pass in the lane that led to a Blake Buchanan dunk.
Jefferson’s Hang 10 triple-double was the ninth in Iowa State history and the third in Otzelberger’s four-plus seasons as coach. Of course, his wonderful play wasn’t the only reason the third-ranked Cyclones won their Big 12 opener and extended their winning streak to 14 straight to start a season for the first time since the 2013-14 team opened 14-0.
Milan Momcilovic made eight 3-pointers. Jamarion Batemon made three. The Mountaineers wore down against the persistent offensive and defensive aggressiveness. Four Cyclones scored in double figures.
There’s no secret sauce. What you see is what you get, repeatedly, during 40 minutes of hellish Iowa State basketball.
“It’s what good teams do,” first-year West Virginia coach Ross Hodge told reporters after the game. “They make you pick your poison.”
Another message sent. Another strong message the Big 12 and the nation must pay attention to.
The 2025-26 Iowa State men’s basketball team oozes with everything great teams ooze, and it’s not a here-today, gone-tomorrow phenomenon.
This is the roster construction Otzelberger and his staff have been building toward since inheriting a program that had hit rock bottom.
• Interchangeable point guards in Tamin Lipsey and Killyan Toure. And when Lipsey tosses a from-the-logo lob that Buchanan finishes with a dunk … oh my.
• A 3-point deadeye wing in Momcilovic, who makes 3s and step-back shots with the efficiency and ease some players make layups.
• A do-everything Jefferson.
• The scrappiest and most efficient post player Iowa State has had in a while in Buchanan.
• A bench full of complementary players, each capable of taking over a game.
“We know we’re not going to play perfect every night. We’re going to have moments where things don’t go as well, but we know we can count on our fans,” Otzelberger said after the game.
And of course, not all opponents will be West Virginia. Every game won’t be inside Hilton Coliseum, either, like Jan. 7 at Baylor, Jan. 13 at Kansas, Feb. 1 at Kansas State, Feb. 21 at BYU and March 2 at (current) top-ranked Arizona.
And of course, there will be games Iowa State doesn’t win. The Big 12 isn’t set up for a runaway champion. We wouldn’t want it any other way.
(Columnist Randy Peterson, a past Iowa Sportswriter of the Year winner, can be reached at [email protected] or at any Okoboji-area beverage or food establishment between the hours of open and close.)
