Iowa State Cyclones Star Guard Receives Bold Prediction From Jay Bilas

An Iowa State Cyclones star has received a bold prediction from analyst Jay Bilas on how their season will go.

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The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season is quickly approaching, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Iowa State Cyclones. They are once again projected to be one of the best teams in the nation, in the Preseason AP Poll Top 25 for the second consecutive year.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has a lot of talent on his roster heading into the campaign. All eyes are on point guard Tamin Lipsey, who is entering Year 4 with the program.

An Ames native, he has embodied exactly what his coach was looking for at the point guard position. He sets the tone for his teammates on both ends of the court. Defensively, that is where he truly shines.

College basketball analyst Jay Bilas believes that will be the case again this season. He recently shared his picks for preseason All-America teams, honorable mentions, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team.

Tamin Lipsey selected for preseason All-Defensive Team

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lipsey has been selected for the All-Defensive Team along with Joseph Tugler of the Houston Cougars, Miles Bird of the San Diego State Aztecs, Mouhamed Dioubate of the Kentucky Wildcats and Maliq Brown of the Duke Blue Devils.

The Iowa State star certainly has the skill set to receive such an incredible honor. He is already a two-time member of the All-Big 12 Defensive Team and holds the record for steals for the Cyclones.

Regarded as the best point of attack defender in men’s college basketball, it is nice to see Lipsey receiving the kind of national attention he deserves. He was also selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Of course, for him to live up to these expectations, he has to be on the court. That currently isn’t the case, as he deals with yet another injury.

From Ames Little Cyclone, to Iowa State Cyclone, Tamin Lipsey has always dreamed of playing in Ames. As he enters his senior season in the cardinal and gold, he isn't taking it for granted.@SoundOFF13 pic.twitter.com/GmUcz5a7E6

— David Warrington (@DWarringtonTV) October 9, 2025

This time, it is a knee sprain that was suffered a few weeks ago in practice while going up for a rebound. Recent updates have been positive, with Lipsey believing he will be ready to go for the season opener on Nov. 3 against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.

The Cyclones certainly need him on the floor if they are to reach their potential this year. It is hard to make any definitive statements from an exhibition game, but the team’s performance against Creighton made it clear they need Lipsey healthy and performing at a high level.

He, along with Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson, will be carrying the load for Otzelberger’s squad this campaign. That is as good a Big 3 as any in the country, capable of making an impact in every facet of the game.