CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 27: Tamin Lipsey #3 of the Iowa State Cyclones reacts to the 76-62 loss against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 27, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
There is going to be a ton to talk about during the offseason carousel for the men’s basketball team, and there already is a lot to talk about just a week into the women’s offseason. With that being said, there will be plenty of time this offseason to talk about that as answers start to take shape. For now, it is more important to reflect on Friday’s Sweet Sixteen game against Tennessee.
Given that All-American Joshua Jefferson was out with an ankle injury, the Cyclones were going to have to be at their best to win. That they were not.
Some of the things that have plagued Iowa State all year caused them to keel over to end the season. The Cyclones missed 10 free throws in the 76-62 loss, and even making five more would have provided a significantly shallower grave to climb out of when attempting to make a late surge.
Losing Jefferson was a massive problem for this team. They still had the potential for the same game-breaking 10-0, 15-0 and 20-0 runs without him, but he was the guy that slowed the game down for Iowa State when the team was struggling on either end of the court. While the big men were fine enough inside this tournament, having a second big body inside in Jefferson was a major reason Iowa State was a top-10 team this year. It became evident when the Volunteers got some easy buckets inside that the Cyclones were one body short in the forwards department.
With how strong the regular season was, a Sweet Sixteen trip came as a disappointment to many fans, but losing Jefferson was essentially a death sentence to any title hopes. Even if the Cyclones got by Tennessee, Michigan was going to show zero mercy.
Obviously, most had higher hopes than two NCAA Tournament wins going in; however, sometimes disaster strikes in ways that are outside the team’s control. There may be a word that comes up to describe how this promising season came to an end. In the meantime, a loss for words is the only way to describe the feeling.
It was a horrible way for Cyclone legends like Tamin Lipsey and Jefferson to go out, along with, potentially, Milan Momcilovic, who declared for the draft while reserving the right to return to Iowa State for his season if he so chooses.
In the current collegiate landscape, there is no time to sit back and reminisce on the season, as you have about a month to put together a roster for the coming season that can outperform the former season. Since some of the key gears that made this machine a well-oiled one will be moving on, the coaching staff will have their work cut out for them to make the dream a reality. Sweet Sixteen trips cannot be the dream destination, because if you keep aiming for pretty good, all the teams aiming for the best will pass you by.
A lot is at stake during the 2026-27 season, which I believe could shape the next decade of Iowa State basketball.
