Iowa State Cyclones Player Receives Incredible Praise From Purdue's Matt Painter

An Iowa State Cyclones player performed so well against the Purdue Boilermakers that he drew praise from Matt Painter.

Nov 28, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter watches the game from the bench during the first half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones put together one of the best performances of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season to date when they went on the road and dismantled the Purdue Boilermakers.

The No. 1-ranked team in the country welcomed the Cyclones to West Lafayette, Indiana, and Mackey Arena, one of the toughest places for opponents to play. The environment didn’t faze them at all, handling what many considered the best homecourt advantage in college basketball with ease.

The Cyclones put forth a historic performance in an 81-58 victory, tying the record for the largest margin of victory over a team that was ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.

A complete all-around team effort was needed to pull off such an upset. Purdue head coach Matt Painter noted that Iowa State took the Boilermakers right out of their game, leading to the blowout.

Nate Heise draws praise from Matt Painter

Dec 6, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

But, there was one player who stood out for the Cyclones in the opinion of Painter: Nate Heise.

The sixth-year senior shifted back to a bench role with point guard Tamin Lipsey healthy enough to return to the lineup. He played a prominent role still, receiving 29 minutes off the bench.

Heise made an impact on both ends of the court and stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. It wasn’t so much his production, but the impact he has in areas that don’t show up in the box score that impressed the Purdue head coach the most.

"That's a functional winner right there. ... they're bought in, especially (Heise). He does all the little things, a fan might not grab it, but a coach does,” Painter said.

Purdue coach Matt Painter: "(Iowa State) took our spirit."

Complementary of many ISU players, but especially Nate Heise: "That's a functional winner right there. ... they're bought in, especially (Heise). He does all the little things, a fan might not grab it but a coach does."

— Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) December 6, 2025

Nate Heise has turned into quintessential glue guy

Iowa State Men's Basketball player Nate Heise stands for a photo during media day at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Oct. 8, 2025. | Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Virtually all successful basketball teams have a player like Heise in their rotation. Someone who is willing to do the little things to help a team win that won’t always show up in a box score or lead to recognition from fans.

Heise is that player for T.J. Otzelberger. The head coach challenged his veteran to improve in some areas over the offseason, and thus far, he has bought it and is making the most of his opportunities.

Here’s Matt Painter in his postgame kind of reiterating exactly what I was talking about with Nate Heise.

Calls Nate a “Functional winner.”

I encourage you to watch his postgame he had great things to say about Iowa State and touched on numerous players. https://t.co/KfmUhCgT8S pic.twitter.com/c4prQz2z39

— Cyclone Dave (@CycloneDave69) December 6, 2025

The coaching staff views Heise as a key part of the rotation. Otzelberger has called him a sixth starter, capable of handling any role the team asks of him, which he proved correct after starting three games in a row and moving back to the bench.

It didn’t impact his level of performance negatively, getting the job done on both ends to help Iowa State get a huge non-conference victory.