T.J. Otzelberger Has Elevated Iowa State Cyclones to Unprecedented Heights

Only in his fifth year as head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, T.J. Otzelberger has already achieved so much.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play during the second half against Oklahoma State in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 10, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball program was in desperate need of change when T.J. Otzelberger was hired ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

They were coming off the worst season in program history in the last year of the Steve Prohm era, going 2-22. That was the second-most losses in a single season and the lowest winning percentage, .083, ever.

Otzelberger wasted no time in getting things on track in Ames. The Cyclones were in the NCAA Tournament in his first year as head coach and are well on their way to a fifth consecutive appearance in 2026.

He has overseen incredible success thus far, as evidenced by how consistent the team has been. Ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll this week, Iowa State has been ranked inside the top 25 for 45 straight weeks. The last time they weren’t ranked was Jan. 8, 2024.

Iowa State has been built into a contender by T.J. Otzelberger

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play during the second half against Oklahoma State in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 10, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since Otzelberger has taken over, his Cyclones have been ranked inside the Top 25 66 times. In the history of the program, they have been ranked 226 weeks total, with nine times in the preseason and 12 times in the final Top 25.

Two of those preseason rankings and two of the final rankings have come under Otzelberger, with a third final ranking well within reach. He has also overseen the team reaching No. 2, which is the highest they have ever been ranked.

As Cyclone Fanatic shared on Twitter, this is the 27th time in program history that Iowa State was ranked inside the Top 5. 18 of those weeks have come with Otzelberger as the head coach.

The Cyclones move up to No. 5 in the AP Poll, extending their streak inside the Top 25 to 46-straight weeks.

This marks Iowa State's 27th week in the AP Top 5, with 18 of those weeks coming under T.J. Otzelberger.

The Cyclones are one of four Big 12 teams in the Top 10,… pic.twitter.com/T7xhBzuvnQ

— Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) February 9, 2026

Six NCAA Tournament appearances in a row is the most the Cyclones have ever had. As long as Otzelberger remains in Ames, that looks like a record that will be broken eventually, with a fifth straight appearance likely coming next month.

This is arguably the best stretch of basketball that Ames has ever seen. Nothing epitomizes that more than Tamin Lipsey, who became the winningest starter in program history when Iowa State defeated the Baylor Bears 72-69.

That was his 90th victory in the starting lineup, breaking a tie with Georges Niang, who previously held the record with 89. There is a shot that Lipsey becomes the first starter in program history to reach triple-digit victories if the team can go on a run in the 2026 Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

Otzelberger has raised the bar of the men’s basketball program and is hoping to continue reaching new heights as a legitimate title contender.