Iowa State basketball is ready to begin its 2025-26 campaign, with its regular-season opener against visiting Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, Nov. 3.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT from Hilton Coliseum. The game will be available on ESPN+.
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Here are three things to watch in Monday night’s game:
Will Iowa State point guard Tamin Lipsey be in the lineup?
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger noted that Tamin Lipsey returned to full practice for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 30, after missing approximately six weeks with an MCL injury.
Will he make his return for the Cyclones’ season-opener? It’s unclear, but Iowa State is taking a one-day-at-a-time approach with him.
“We’re not nervous,” Otzelberger said of Lipsey after that Thursday practice. “Obviously, we know we’d love to have him out there, but I want for him to start the season at 100% where he feels like he can be his best, not at a deficit. So, we’ll just keep evaluating each day to see where he’s at.”
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There’s no pressure or rush for Lipsey, who was named to the Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list. Otzelberger noted he’s “not big on a minute restriction type of thing” and would prefer to have Lipsey return when he feels comfortable going full-speed.
If Lipsey can’t go, it’ll simply mean more of freshman guard Killyan Toure, who shined in the Cyclones’ preseason exhibition games against Northwestern and Creighton.
Toure had 11 points, six boards, five assists, three steals and two turnovers in the final preseason outing against Northwestern.
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“If there’s been any positive, probably of Tamin not being able to be out there as much, it’s been for Killyan to really get a ton of those reps and play with the main unit or the top guys,” Otzelberger said. “That’s really helped his confidence continue to grow.”
Fairleigh Dickinson is taking its first-ever trip to Iowa when it plays the Cyclones. The Knights are best known for becoming the second 16-seed to pull off a 16-over-1 upset in the NCAA Tournament, upending Purdue in 2023. At that time, Fairleigh Dickinson was coached by Truro, Iowa native Tobin Anderson.
The Knights haven’t made it back to the Big Dance since that shining moment several years ago. Jack Castleberry took over for Anderson after that 2022-23 season and is entering his third season at the helm. They still like to utilize an up-tempo style, with a focus on defense. Last season, FDU held opponents to shooting 30.3% from beyond the arc (18th in the country). This year, he’s bringing in a revamped roster, with 12 new players, after finishing 13-20 last season.
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FDU was picked to finish in fifth place in the NEC preseason coaches’ poll.
Forward Taeshaud Jackson is one of the more experienced players on the Knights’ roster. He averaged 10.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game two seasons ago at VMI. He saw a reduced role at Northern Colorado last year and is looking for a bigger part at FDU. He appeared in 84 games over the last three years. Cyril Martynov, a 7-foot center, will be another frontcourt player to watch after transferring from Eastern Kentucky.
Graduate transfer Joey Niesman was a standout two-way guard at Division II McKendree before coming to FDU. He averaged 12.4 points, led the team in rebounding and set a program single-game record with seven steals last season. Junior transfer Noah Melson is also primed for a more productive year after appearing in 55 games at Chattanooga.
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Iowa State’s defensive “kill” count
Iowa State won’t be inflicting violence on Monday night, but the Cyclones — and the student section love to track the team’s “kills.”
In Otzelberger’s program, a kill is defined by Iowa State’s ability to get three straight defensive stops.
The Cyclones showed improvement on the defensive end between the Creighton and Northwestern exhibition games, but Otzelberger made it clear that there’s still room for improvement.
In a game where they’ll be heavily favored, the focus will be on their attention to detail. A low-major opponent will be a good opportunity for some of the newer players to focus on executing concepts on defense and utilizing proper rotations.
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Iowa State men’s basketball vs. FDU prediction
There shouldn’t be any issues for Iowa State in this one. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cyclones grow on defense and how newcomers continue to build cohesion with returners. Prediction: Iowa State 85, FDU 55
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State vs FDU prediction, 3 things to watch in Cyclones opener
