Iowa State Cyclones Make Small Move Up the Final Preseason Top 25 Rankings

The Iowa State Cyclones are on the rise in the final preseason top 25 rankings from ESPN.

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The Iowa State Cyclones have turned into a consistently productive program under the leadership of head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Entering Year 5 at the helm, expectations continue to be on the rise for a team that went 2-22 in the final season of his predecessor, Steve Prohm. Things immediately turned around once he came to Ames from the Nevada Wolfpack.

Iowa State has qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four years he has been on the sidelines. They have won at least 19 games every campaign as well, constructing a nice baseline of success to build upon.

After reaching as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll last season, the Cyclones are once again expected to be one of the best teams in the country. In the final preseason rankings shared by ESPN, Iowa State has actually moved up.

Where is Iowa State in ESPN's last preseason men's basketball rankings?

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In the previous rankings, the Cyclones were No. 18. With just a few weeks until the regular season gets underway, they are now up to No. 15.

This will be the second year in a row that Iowa State is in the top 25 entering the season. That has occurred only one other time in program history, where they began the year ranked: 2014 through 2016.

Seeing the Cyclones in the Top 25 isn’t a surprise. But their moving up after suffering arguably the biggest offseason injury news will raise some eyebrows.

Can Iowa State overcome Tamin Lipsey injury?

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Star point guard Tamin Lipsey suffered a knee injury in practice a few weeks ago. Diagnosed with a sprained MCL, his timetable to make a return to the field was right around Opening Night. It will be interesting to see not only if he can get into the lineup, but also how effective he can be should he get on the court after missing all of training camp.

Until he is up to speed, Otzelberger will rely on two of his other holdovers in the starting lineup, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson, to carry the load. Jefferson’s playmaking ability from the frontcourt will be especially important if Lipsey has to be brought along slowly.

But, for Iowa State to reach its potential this season, they need their star point guard on the court producing. Unfortunately, injuries have been an issue for him throughout his collegiate career.

Alas, that means there is some experience for Otzelberger's game planning without him operating at 100 percent. Freshman guards Jamarion Batemon and Killyan Toure could be leaned on a little more in the early going. Transfer Dominick Nelson could have a featured role as well in the backcourt if Lipsey isn’t ready to go early on.