Iowa State Cyclones' Star Wisely Seen as a Top Player in the Country

Which player for the Iowa State Cyclones was recently named as one of the top players in the country?

Jan 29, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team play the Colorado Buffaloes during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have been off to one of the best starts in the history of the program, and there is reason to believe that they can be a true final four contender. 

Following four straight wins, the Cyclones have been able to move back up to seventh in the country. Despite some brief concerns when they lost two straight games, they have had a really impressive stretch of late. 

As expected with the team blowing out their opponents in the Big 12, it has been a well-balanced attack on both ends of the court. The defense has been impressive, and the offense is shooting extremely well from the field. 

While it has been a good showing on both offense and defense, the team has also seen the bench start to complement the starting five. Even though there have been a lot of good players for the team, their star power has been really impressive. 

Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf of ESPN recently ranked the Top 50 players in the country heading into February. Coming in ranked 20th was Cyclones point guard Tamin Lipsey. 

Lipsey Having Fantastic Senior Season

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While a lot of the attention has been on Joshua Jefferson, who has been a National Player of the Year candidate, and Milan Momcilovic has been the best shooter in the country, Lipsey has also been playing well. 

Coming into the year, the senior guard was expected to be a key contributor for the team, and he has certainly done that. As a four-year starter now, he was recently able to move up in the program's all-time scoring list to 21st with 1,300 points. 

So far this season, he is averaging 13.4 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. The talented senior does it all well for Iowa State, and he is going to be a valuable weapon in March. Having good guard play is always extremely important for a team, and there are few better in the country than Lipsey. 

His being ranked as the 20th best player in the country is a massive honor, and it shows just how well-rounded a player he is. Even though his offensive stats don’t jump off the page, he is an impact player on the defensive end as well. 

Overall, he is well-deserving of the ranking, and the Cyclones having three players on the list is extremely impressive for the program.