Former Iowa State Basketball Star Receives AP Preseason All-America Votes

The Iowa State Cyclones don't have any players on the AP Preseason All-American team, but a former player received some recognition.

Mar 21, 2026; Storrs, CT, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones mascot on the court during a break against the Syracuse Orange in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Iowa State Cyclones have garnered the respect of AP Top 25 Poll voters heading into the 2026-27 season.

Despite some massive changes to their roster, the voters still believe in T.J. Otzelberger’s squad. The Cyclones are No. 18 in the preseason poll, which makes them fourth among Big 12 teams. 

The Arizona Wildcats, Houston Cougars and Kansas Jayhawks are all ahead of them. Just behind them are the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the BYU Cougars, giving the conference six ranked teams to begin the campaign.

Given how many talented teams there are in the Big 12, it comes as no surprise they are well represented in the AP Preseason All-America Voting. Alas, Iowa State doesn’t have any current players who were selected, but a former player did receive some votes: Milan Momcilovic.

Former Iowa State star Milan Momcilovic received Preseason All-America votes

Oct 16, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Milan Momcilovic (22) drives to the basket against Little Rock Trojans guard Jah'Likai King (2) during the second half at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After putting his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, Momcilovic also entered the transfer portal. When he withdrew from the draft, there was no longer a spot or NIL money available for him with the Cyclones. As a result, he transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Expectations are incredibly high for Momcilovic heading into the 2026-27 campaign as a go-to scorer for the Wildcats. Voters believe that he is in for a big season, as he received five votes. That was 12 short of making the AP Preseason All-America Team, with Arizona center Motiejus Krivas being the fifth member with 17 points.

Seven other players finished between Momcilovic and Krivas, including two more players the Cyclones are going to have to compete against this season: BYU point guard Robert Wright III, Texas Tech big man JT Toppin and Kansas five-star freshman Tyran Stokes.

Further down the list was one of Krivas’s teammates, Ivan Kharchenkov, who received one vote, giving the Big 12 five representatives on the list dominated by players from the ACC and SEC.

Florida's Thomas Haugh and Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. earned preseason All-America honors from The Associated Press. Fears received 57 votes from a 58-person media panel released Wednesday and Haugh earned 56. https://t.co/is6pNYa0d2

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 21, 2026

While Iowa State doesn’t have anyone on the list right now, they do have one player worth keeping an eye on: point guard Tamin Lipsey.

Currently eligible for a fifth year as a member of the Class of 2022, he has the star power and two-way skill set to certainly make a push for an All-America spot throughout the season. He is one of the most accomplished active point guards in the country, renowned for his stellar defensive ability.

Another successful season with the Cyclones, along with the normal level of production he provides on the court, will certainly get him noticed by voters to land on some ballots.