Healthy Tamin Lipsey Elevates Iowa State Cyclones to Championship Contender

Iowa State Cyclones point guard Tamin Lipsey is playing at an incredibly high level thus far this season.

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Iowa State Cyclones star Tamin Lipsey is one of the most respected point guards in men’s college basketball. Entering his senior year, there were some high expectations placed on him and the team.

Since he enrolled at Iowa State, he has been their starter in the backcourt. He was an emerging star as a sophomore, but injuries have been the only thing holding him back during his collegiate career.

During the 2024-25 campaign, he was hampered by a shoulder injury that would require offseason surgery. Lipsey also played through a fracture in his hand.

Coming into the 2025-26 season, keeping his star point guard healthy was a main goal for head coach T.J. Otzelberger. But it proved easier said than done once Lipsey went down with a knee injury during practice.

Tamin Lipsey looks healthy at start of Iowa State season

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The timetable for his recovery put him returning to the court right around the season opener, which was on Nov. 3. He was able to get in a few practices and was in the starting lineup for the first game of the season against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.

Lipsey didn’t show any ill effects from the injury, playing 25 minutes and making an impact on both ends. He scored 18 points with six rebounds, five assists and five steals.

.@CycloneMBB senior guard @TaminLipsey dropped a career high 25 points to put his signature on the Sanford Pentagon's 100th Division I basketball game. pic.twitter.com/yZc09YjPSv

— Sanford Sports Complex (@sanford_complex) November 11, 2025

That was his sixth career game of 5+ steals in his career, joining Jamaal Tinsley and Jeff Hornacek in reaching that impressive milestone. It didn’t take him long to record his seventh such game, recording another five steals against the Grambling State Tigers.

It was encouraging to see him play 31 minutes in the second game in four nights. Making it through unscathed and healthy was definitely a win.

Tamin Lipsey took performance to another level against Mississippi State

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However, dominating lower-tier competition is one thing. The Cyclones had tougher competition on the horizon, starting with a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Monday night.

Lipsey took his game to another level, helping lead Iowa State to a dominant 96-80 victory. He poured in a career-high 25 points, adding one rebound, six assists and three steals.

Playing 36 minutes is as big an indication as any that he is feeling healthy following another injury scare just a few weeks ago. For the Cyclones to reach the heights they are hoping to, they need Lipsey healthy and playing at a high level, which he is proving capable of doing.

A Career-High 25 for T Lip.#Cyclones | #C5C | @TaminLipsey pic.twitter.com/d3UA0SQ7xh

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) November 11, 2025

He is held in high regard in the college basketball world, being selected for multiple preseason watch lists and the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. So far, he is living up to and exceeding those expectations.

As long as Lipsey can remain healthy, he changes the outlook and dynamic of this Iowa State team. A legitimate two-way impact player, he is raising the team’s ceiling to become a legitimate Big 12 and national championship contender.