3 Best Iowa State Basketball Performers in NCAA Tournament

The Iowa State Cyclones' run in the 2026 NCAA Tournament came to a screeching halt in the Sweet 16 against the Tennessee Volunteers, losing 76-62.

It was a disappointing end to what was such an incredible season for the Cyclones. That loss made some brutal history for the program, as they are now 1-7 in Sweet 16 matchups.

And, it is easy to wonder what if, when taking into consideration that Joshua Jefferson was injured not even three minutes into their first game.

Despite not having their senior star forward, Iowa State still managed to win two games, defeating the Tennessee State Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats. His teammates stepped up, with these three players separating themselves as the best performers for Iowa State basketball in the NCAA tournament.

Tamin Lipsey

The 2026 NCAA tournament didn’t get off to a great start for the senior point guard. Battling foul trouble, Tamin Lipsey played only 18 minutes, making 1-of-6 shot attempts as the Cyclones cruised to victory.

However, with Jefferson sidelined, Lipsey put the onus on himself to get the team going. He set the tone offensively against Kentucky, showcasing aggressiveness while the team’s offense started slow.

He scored a career-high 26 points to go with 10 assists for the fourth double-double of his career. Five steals were added, putting him in rare NCAA tournament history.

Against Tennessee, he scored a team-high 18 points with five rebounds, five assists and one steal. He went down swinging in the final game of his illustrious Iowa State career.

Nate Heise

Another senior whose career unfortunately came to an end in the Sweet 16 was Nate Heise. He has spent the last two seasons with the Cyclones after beginning his career with the Northern Iowa Panthers, and he saved the best for last.

With Jefferson sidelined, he saw his role increase, and he took full advantage. Known to step up in the NCAA tournament previously, he took his game to another level in relief of his injured teammate.

Heise scored 52 points in his three tournament games, knocking down 6-of-15 3-point attempts. He was inserted into Jefferson’s spot in the starting lineup and did his best impersonation with two-way impact.

It could be argued that Heise was the team’s best player, given how much responsibility was thrust on him unexpectedly. He grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out six assists and had two steals, turning the ball over only two times in 97 minutes of action.

Blake Buchanan

With Jefferson sidelined, there was a lot of pressure on Blake Buchanan to hold down the interior. The only other players in the rotation who are listed at 6-foot-8 or taller without Jefferson are Buchanan’s backup, Dominykas Pleta and Milan Momcilovic.

Pleta doesn’t share the court with Buchanan, and Momcilovic isn’t making much of an impact on the interior. That left the junior big man to fend for himself most of the time, and he put forth a valiant effort.

An impact was made on both ends of the floor. Buchanan scored 28 points with 18 rebounds, 12 assists, seven steals and two blocks. He filled all sorts of roles for head coach T.J. Otzelberger and thrived in all of them as the perfect big man for this system.

Expected to return for the 2026-27 campaign, he will be a key piece of the starting lineup once again.