1 Major Weakness That Could Doom Iowa State Basketball

The Iowa State Cyclones have been one of the most impressive teams during the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

After defeating the Tennessee State Tigers in the Round of 64, they dominated the Kentucky Wildcats in the Round of 32 after a slow start. That has set them up in the Sweet 16 against the Tennessee Volunteers.

This is the third time in five years that Iowa State has reached the Regional Semifinal under head coach T.J. Otzelberger. They have yet to advance beyond this point, but they will face some challenges in overcoming a very strong Tennessee squad.

The health status of star forward Joshua Jefferson is the biggest headline everyone is keeping an eye on. They could really use his size against a gigantic Volunteers frontline that hits the glass with aggression.

Free throw shooting is Iowa State's biggest Achilles heel

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey warming up shooting free throws. — Feb 21, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) warms up prior to a game between the BYU Cougars and the Iowa State Cyclones at Marriott Center. | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

However, that isn’t the biggest weakness the Cyclones are facing on the court. The biggest area of concern for Iowa State is its free-throw shooting.

Finding a weakness on this year’s Cyclones squad is tough to do; they are a talented group that gets the job done on both ends. But their inefficiency at the charity stripe is certainly troubling.

On the season, Iowa State has made only 67.7% of its free throw attempts, which ranks 329th in the country. They are 224th with only 14.1 makes per game and 171st, averaging 20.8 attempts.

Just like their 3-point shooting percentage, which is anchored by the absurd 49.3% that Milan Momcilovic is shooting, he is leading the team in free-throw percentage as well. He doesn’t get to the foul line a ton, making 2.0 out of 2.3 attempts per game, coming out to an 87.8% clip.

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— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 26, 2026

There isn’t another player on the team shooting 80% from the foul line. Jamarion Batemon is shooting 78.8%, but is attempting less than one per game. Jefferson leads the team with 6.1 attempts per game, making 4.3 of them, and shoots 70%.

The foul shooting hasn’t cost them yet, going 21-of-27 against Tennessee State and 17-of-24 against Kentucky. But, in a close game down the stretch, their woes from the line could be costly.

However, their opponent in the Sweet 16 is just as poor from the foul line. The Volunteers shoot 69.6% from the stripe, which ranks 275th in the country.

Their matchup could be determined by which team gets hotter at the foul line, converting easy opportunities in what will be a defensive-minded battle.