Iowa State Draws No. 2 Seed, Will Face Tennessee State in NCAA Tournament Opener

Kansas City, Mo. — Just 24 hours after a heart-breaking 82-80 loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals, Iowa State received a dose of good news: the Cyclones have secured a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will open play Friday against No. 15 seed Tennessee State.

Tip-off time and television assignment will be released Sunday evening, but the matchup is already set. The Cyclones’ path forward begins against a Tennessee State program making its first tournament appearance since 1993.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who paced the sideline during Friday’s narrow defeat at T-Mobile Center, addressed the selection during Sunday’s press conference in Ames. While the sting of the one-point loss to Arizona lingered, Otzelberger emphasized the fresh opportunity now in front of his team.

Iowa State entered the Big 12 event on a seven-game winning streak and carried that momentum into the semifinals, where Joshua Jefferson’s late-game efforts kept the Cyclones within a single possession until the final buzzer. Jefferson finished among the team leaders in scoring against Arizona, shooting over the outstretched arm of Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas in a sequence that encapsulated Iowa State’s fight throughout the conference tournament.

The No. 2 seed matches the program’s highest placement since 2021 and positions Iowa State on the preferred side of the bracket, avoiding a potential second-round clash with a fellow top seed. Cyclone fans will monitor the status of guard Tamin Lipsey, whose groin issue flared late in the Big 12 quarterfinals and could influence backcourt rotations when the tournament tips.

Senior wing Nate Heise, speaking after practice Saturday, dismissed any notion that the team has plateaued. “We’re better now than we were three days ago,” Heise said. “That’s not up for debate.”

Iowa State’s first-round site will be announced alongside the complete weekend schedule, but the program already knows the stakes: survive and advance against a Tennessee State squad that punched its automatic bid via a stunning Ohio Valley Conference tournament run.