Iowa State Basketball Wrongly Left off Naismith Award Finalist Ballots

The Iowa State Cyclones have consistently been one of the best teams in men’s college basketball this season.

They were in the AP Poll 25 every week of the campaign, landing at No. 6 in the final edition before the NCAA tournament got underway. With a 27-7 record after the conclusion of the Big 12 tournament, the Cyclones landed the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region.

After dominating the Tennessee State Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats, they earned a spot in the Sweet 16, where they faced off against the Tennessee Volunteers. Given how much success they have had on the hardwood, it should come as no surprise that multiple members of the team and coaching staff were being recognized for their performance.

Senior point guard Tamin Lipsey, senior forward Joshua Jefferson and head coach T.J. Otzelberger were all in the running for Naismith Awards this season. Alas, none of them made the ballot as finalists for awards.

Iowa State shut out from award finalist ballots

Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaking to media. — Mar 26, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks ahead of the Midwest regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Lipsey was named a semifinalist for the third time in his career for the 2026 Naismith Men’s College Defensive Player of the Year. He has only made it onto the final ballot once in his illustrious career with Iowa State.

There are two Big 12 players amongst the final four for the award: Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga and Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler. The last two finalists are big man Zuby Ejiofor of the St. John’s Red Storm and forward Rueben Chinyelu of the Florida Gators.

Defense at its highest level.

Introducing our 2026 Naismith Men’s College Defensive Player of the Year Presented by @MOLECULESleep Finalists! pic.twitter.com/qCgJh5ttk6
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) March 27, 2026

Jefferson’s untimely injury certainly didn’t help his case for the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award. However, based on most metrics and power rankings, he could have easily been selected as a finalist.

For most of the season, he was the No. 2 player in the rankings behind Cameron Boozer of the Duke Blue Devils. Alas, the Cyclones star didn’t make the cut, with BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa, guard Darius Acuff Jr. of the Arkansas Razorbacks and Yaxel Lendeborg of the Michigan Wolverines.

The best of the best.

Introducing our 2026 @jerseymikes Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Finalists! pic.twitter.com/QXTgHJYYFn
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) March 27, 2026

Conversations about this year’s freshman class being the best ever are only strengthened by the fact that there are three among the Men’s College Player of the Year finalists.

For the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Award, Otzelberger was certainly in the running. This is one of the best seasons in program history and he was certainly deserving of consideration.

Alas, he didn’t make the ballot of finalists, and finding a head coach to remove from the list is incredibly difficult. Up for the award are Fred Hoiberg of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tommy Lloyd of the Arizona Wildcats, Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines and Jon Scheyer of Duke.

Setting the standard from the top.

Introducing our 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Finalists. @werner_safety pic.twitter.com/2CxeRzHUtg
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) March 27, 2026

If Otzelberger isn’t going to win the award, Cyclone Nation would be thrilled to see one of their former stars, Hoiberg, win it.