No. 6 Iowa State Faces Struggling Utah Amid Gauntlet of Ranked Foes

The Cyclones are 2-1 so far in a stretch of five ranked opponents in six games.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 2:10pm

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No. 6 Iowa State (23-4, 10-4 Big 12) is in the midst of a challenging stretch of games, facing five ranked opponents in six contests. After falling 79-69 to No. 23 BYU on the road, the Cyclones look to bounce back against struggling Utah (10-17, 2-12 Big 12) in Salt Lake City. Iowa State previously defeated then-No. 9 Kansas and then-No. 2 Houston at home during this gauntlet.

Why it matters

Iowa State was projected to be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, but the loss to BYU showed they have work to do to earn that status. This game against Utah provides a chance for the Cyclones to regain momentum before facing No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 4 Arizona to close out the grueling stretch.

The details

In the loss to BYU, Iowa State was outrebounded 39-28 and outscored 40-22 in the paint. Point guard Tamin Lipsey said the team didn't play like a No. 1 seed, and coach T.J. Otzelberger wants to see more physical toughness and defensive intensity on the road. Utah has lost 13 of its last 15 games, but has been competitive in several close losses.

  • Iowa State defeated then-No. 9 Kansas 74-56 at home on February 14.
  • Iowa State defeated then-No. 2 Houston 70-67 at home on February 16.
  • Iowa State lost 79-69 to No. 23 BYU on the road on February 18.
  • Iowa State hosts No. 13 Texas Tech on February 25.
  • Iowa State visits No. 4 Arizona on February 27.

The players

T.J. Otzelberger

The head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones.

Tamin Lipsey

The point guard for the Iowa State Cyclones.

AJ Dybantsa

The star player for BYU who had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists against Iowa State.

Themus Fulks

The UCF player who made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to give UCF a 73-71 win over Utah.

Terrence Brown

The leading scorer for Utah with a 20.2 points per game average.

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What they’re saying

“We know who we need to be. We need to come out on the road and have that same level of physical toughness mentality to turn people over. When we did that (against BYU) in short stints, we had success. We need to do it more.”

— T.J. Otzelberger, Head Coach, Iowa State Cyclones

“You have to earn it every game (and) every day. Obviously, we didn't earn the right to be there.”

— Tamin Lipsey, Point Guard, Iowa State Cyclones

“We have terrific confidence in his abilities and he works so hard. He cares so much. He's a great player for us now and he has so many bright moments ahead as a Cyclone.”

— T.J. Otzelberger, Head Coach, Iowa State Cyclones

“It just hurts to lose a game that you know you can win. It didn't happen a bunch of times, but the feeling right now for me is just wishing we could take a couple plays back, because we were there and we could have won that game.”

— Don McHenry, Utah Player

“I'm getting sick of the moral victories. We were up five at Cincinnati. We very well could have won that one. I think we're better than our record.”

— Alex Jensen, Head Coach, Utah Utes

What’s next

Iowa State finishes its challenging six-game stretch with a home game against No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday before visiting No. 4 Arizona on Monday.

The takeaway

Iowa State's loss to BYU showed they have work to do to live up to their No. 1 seed projection, but this game against struggling Utah provides an opportunity to regain momentum before facing two more ranked opponents to close out this grueling gauntlet of games.