Iowa State Cyclones Need Star Player To Break Out of Minor Funk

Will a star from the Iowa State Cyclones be able to break out of his minor funk?

Jan 2, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team play the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones finally suffered their first loss of the season, and they will be seeking to bounce back against the Cincinnati Bearcats. For the team to bounce back, getting a star player out of a bit of a funk would help. 

It has been a fantastic start to the campaign for the Cyclones, but they unfortunately suffered their first loss in blowout fashion to the Kansas Jayhawks. Prior to the loss, Iowa State set a program record for their best start to the year with a 16-0 record. The loss has knocked them down a bit among some of the elite teams in the country. 

Iowa State has been a team that has been really strong on both ends of the court. Coming into the year, they weren’t expected to be nearly as good as they have been offensively, and this is a unit that is a primary reason for their success. 

The Cyclones are always going to be bringing it on the defensive end, but how well they can perform on offense will ultimately determine how far this team can go. While multiple players have taken a step forward, it has been Milan Momcilovic who has really exceeded expectations. 

Cyclones Need to Get Momcilovic Going

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

Overall, this season, one of the top players for Iowa State has been their talented junior forward. Momcilovic is one of the players who has really taken a step forward this season for the Cyclones, and his numbers have been impressive. 

So far this campaign, he is averaging 17.2 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field and over 50 percent from three-point range as well. The talented junior has emerged as one of the best shooters in the entire country, and his ability to space the floor has been a massive benefit to the program. 

However, while the overall numbers have been strong, there have been a couple of hiccups of late. Against the Jayhawks, he struggled, totaling just 11 points on three-for-nine shooting from the field. Furthermore, in their win against the Baylor Bears, he only tallied four points. 

What is interesting to note in both of those games is that foul trouble was a bit of an issue. In those two performances, he had four fouls in each game, which may have thrown him out of rhythm. Furthermore, both of those games were also on the road. If Iowa State is going to bounce back against the Bearcats on the road, they will need their sharpshooter to snap out of the little funk that he has been in.