Iowa State Basketball Star Proves He Is an Elite Guard in NCAA Tournament

The Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Kentucky Wildcats and punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 thanks to a great game from a key player.

Coming into their matchup with the Wildcats, there was understandably some concern for the Cyclones after losing their star Joshua Jefferson. While the team doesn’t have a timetable for his potential return yet, it didn’t stop them from advancing on Sunday.

Even though they might have had a little bit of a slow start, Iowa State turned it on defensively and really imposed their will on the Wildcats. The Cyclones were able to force Kentucky into 20 turnovers, and their offense was a mess for most of the game.

While the team didn’t have their star player, they also didn’t miss a beat. On offense, it was a pretty well-balanced attack for the team, but it was one player in particular who performed well. That was senior guard Tamin Lipsey, who led the way for Iowa State in what ended up being one of the best games of his career.

Lipsey Has Memorable Performance

TEAM WIN.#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/NaxvnlyX0h
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 22, 2026

With Lipsey likely knowing that the team was going to need him to step up with Jefferson out, he certainly answered the call. In the win, it was the talented guard who led the way with a career-high 26 points on eight-for-15 shooting from the field and three-for-six from beyond the arc.

Considering how well Jefferson was playing offensively coming into the NCAA tournament, it really appeared to raise the ceiling for the Cyclones. However, seeing what Lipsey was able to do offensively should create some optimism that the team can continue to win heading into the Sweet 16.

Lipsey was extremely aggressive, going to the basket and drawing contact to get to the free-throw line as well. While his career-high in points was obviously impressive, he also totaled 10 assists for a memorable double-double.

Going forward, the Cyclones will be hoping that Jefferson can come back and be healthy. However, they should still believe that they can accomplish great things without him. Lipsey might be a bit underrated with a lot of good guards in the country, but he proved against Kentucky that he can play at an elite level.

Iowa State was very impressive on Sunday, and Lipsey was certainly the catalyst for them. Hopefully, he can keep up the high level of play and continue to lead the program to perhaps a trip to the Elite 8.