Iowa State Basketball Key Takeaways From Win Over Kentucky

The Iowa State Cyclones knew that it would require a complete team effort to play against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Round of 32 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament without their star, Joshua Jefferson.

He injured his ankle early in their Round of 64 game against the Tennessee State Tigers, and without him, the Cyclones got off to a painfully slow start. Kentucky led by as many as 12 points in the game, but eventually succumbed to the Iowa State avalanche.

The Cyclones had a one-point lead at halftime, ending on a nice run after the slow start, and they picked up right where they left off out of the locker room. They ran the Wildcats out of the gym in the second half, ending up with an 82-63 victory to advance to the Sweet 16.

Iowa State is now heading to Chicago, with some incredible takeaways from its victory over Kentucky.

Tamin Lipsey Shines

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey reacts after a play. — Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) reacts after a play during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Without Jefferson in the lineup, someone had to step up on the offensive end. It was their senior point guard, Tamin Lipsey, who had arguably the best game of his career at a time they needed it most.

He scored a career-high 26 points, knocking down 8-of-15 shots and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. His aggressiveness was impressive, also getting to the foul line for eight attempts, making seven of them.

Lipsey also handed out 10 assists for his fourth career double-double. With five steals in the afternoon, he made an impact on both ends.

Defensive Pressure Ramped Up

Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh defended by Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure. — Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) drives to the basket during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Wildcats have a lot of talent, but they don’t have a true point guard to lead their attack. It was something the Cyclones took full advantage of, constantly pressuring Kentucky and forcing them into tough situations.

Kentucky was pretty efficient offensively, shooting 21-of-45 from the field overall and 9-of-25 from 3-point range. However, they couldn’t handle the pressure, turning the ball over 20 times, which Iowa State turned into 25 points.

The Wildcats played a lot of one-on-one, isolation basketball and it wasn’t a style that could keep up with Iowa State asserting its dominance as the game moved along.

Balanced Scoring Without Joshua Jefferson

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson getting help walking off court after injury. — Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) is helped off of the court after suffering an apparent injury to his left leg while shooting a layup against Tennessee State Tigers forward Jalen Pitre (not pictured) during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Replacing a second-leading scorer at any point is never easy; doing so during the NCAA tournament is another monster, but the Cyclones have received incredible efforts thus far from their entire team.

The entire starting lineup scored at least nine points, with Milan Momcilovic scoring 20 points, giving Iowa State two 20+ point scorers. They all made an impact, helping compensate for not having Jefferson in the lineup.

Momcilovic, Lipsey, Killyan Toure and Nate Heise all shot at least 50% from the field.