Iowa State Cyclones

T.J. Otzelberger Representing Iowa State on Prestigious Award Watchlist

An award watchlist includes Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach, T.J. Otzelberger.
Kenneth Teape|
Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches the game from bench during the second half against West Virginia on Jan. 2, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches the game from bench during the second half against West Virginia on Jan. 2, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Iowa State Cyclones

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has cemented its status as one of the best squads in the country.

With a 23-3 record, they are in the midst of a historic campaign. The 16-game winning streak to begin the season was not only the longest to start without a loss, but the longest streak at any point during a campaign.

Leading the way is head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who deserves a ton of credit for what he has done with the program. This year, he is receiving that recognition in the form of the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year watch list.

The Iowa State head coach is one of 15 people named to the watchlist for the prestigious award. He is one of four Big 12 coaches to be selected for the list, along with Tommy Lloyd of the Arizona Wildcats, Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars and Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks.

T.J. Otzelberger deserves spot on Coach of the Year list

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger pointing toward court.
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

That is tied with the Big Ten for the most representatives on the list. They also have four with former Cyclone great Fred Hoiberg of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans, Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines and Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Otzelberger certainly deserves to be on this list. 23 victories for Iowa State is tied for the third most in the country with Houston, Arizona and the Virginia Cavaliers. This level of success was hard to imagine in Ames, given the situation he inherited.

The Cyclones were 2-22 in the final year of the Steve Prohm era before Otzelberger took over. Since he has been at the helm, Iowa State has made the NCAA Tournament four out of four years and is well on its way to making it five out of five.

He is the fastest coach in program history to 100 victories, needing only 145 games. His 118 victories and counting through his first five seasons are the most in that span, and the most any coach has had since Johnny Orr, who set the program record in 1994 with 218 victories.

A finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award in 2024, he has made the top 15 numerous times already in his tenure with the Cyclones.

Taking home the award will be no small task with so many deserving candidates. But if Otzelberger can help guide Iowa State to its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, he will have as strong a case as any of the other excellent coaches to make the top 15.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

Home/Basketball