T.J. Otzelberger Shares Honest Opinion on Memphis Tigers

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team split their exhibition games this year, losing to the Creighton Bluejays before bouncing back and defeating the Northwestern Wildcats.

Now, they are preparing for the regular season, which will tip off on Nov. 2 against the Memphis Tigers of the American Athletic Conference. The game will be played at the Sanford Pentagon, the second consecutive year Iowa State is being welcomed to Sioux Falls.

Last year, the Cyclones had a coming-out party against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a dominant win. They will be looking for another tone-setting performance against a Memphis team that is coming off a disappointing 13-19 campaign, including an 8-10 record during conference play.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his staff have been studying their opponents, including their exhibition matchup with the No. 13-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The Cyclones' leader provided an honest assessment of what he thinks of Memphis and how they have rebuilt their roster.

T.J. Otzelberger impressed by Memphis during tape study

Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger speaks with reporters during the Big 12 Media Days event. — Oct 20, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger speaks with reporters during the Big 12 Media Days event at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"They've done a great job of how they put their roster together and their team together," Otzelberger said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required). "They play extremely hard. I think what stands out to me on the front line, their bigs play with tremendous spirit, passion, energy, enthusiasm. They've got veteran guards, guys that have had experience at the high major level and been successful. And I think their team fits together really well."

Penny Hardaway, the coach of the Tigers, has a lot of new faces on the roster for the 2026-27 campaign. Based on how the team performed, missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, it may not be the worst thing to have a clean slate on the roster.

Dug McDaniel and Aaron Bradshaw are back for another year with the Tigers and will be counted on to play sizable roles. They are joined by newcomers Jayden Reid, a transfer from Northwestern, and Tylik Weeks, who played with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles last season.

Improvements are expected, with Memphis voted to finish second in the AAC, receiving four first-place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll. They went 2-1 in the preseason, defeating the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a secret scrimmage and Mississippi State 75-58 in an exhibition before losing to Arkansas.

This is not an opponent Iowa State can take lightly. Hardaway will have his guys prepared and ready to go, looking to put a disappointing 2025-26 campaign behind them. Everyone wants to start a new season off on the right foot 1-0, but there has to be a loser in the game.

Otzelberger will do everything he can to ensure that his players are ready and that they will come out on the right side of this non-conference matchup at the Sanford Pentagon.

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