Iowa State Cyclones Will Be Focused on This Area to Defeat Purdue Boilermakers

What area will the Iowa State Cyclones be trying to control against the Purdue Boilermakers?

Dec 3, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team play the Alcorn State Braves during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set for arguably their biggest game of the year on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers, and they have a clear goal in mind. 

To start the season, the Cyclones have been on fire. Through eight games, they are a perfect 8-0 with some impressive wins against some quality opponents. During the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, the team was able to secure their signature win of the campaign so far against the St. John’s Red Storm. 

With a successful 3-0 record in Vegas, the perception of Iowa State has dramatically changed, with them now being considered one of the best teams in the country and a potential Final Four contender. 

This Saturday, the team is going to be playing the Boilermakers in one of the best matchups of the month. Purdue is undefeated and playing some excellent basketball once again with a good amount of veteran star power on the team. 

Coming into the game, the goal for the Cyclones is to control the paint. While the Boilermakers are known for their excellent guard play led by Brandon Smith, they also have some down low as well. 

"It is essential to everything we want to do," said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger to Eugene Rapay of The Des Moines Register. "We want to control the paint on both ends."

Control the Paint, Win the Game

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With Otzelberger having his team focus on controlling the paint, that could be a recipe for success in what is going to be a challenging road environment. At the same time, the Cyclones are coming off of some of the best shooting performances in program history, which can be taken with a little bit of a grain of salt at home against Alcorn State. 

Even though they likely won’t put together historical performances on Saturday, this is an offense that has been much better than expected. Forward Joshua Jefferson has been fantastic for the program offensively and is coming off being the Big 12 Player of the Week. 

Furthermore, the team will be hopeful that Tamin Lipsey will be back in the lineup for this one. It seemed like he might have been able to play against Alcorn State, but the team might have wanted to proceed with caution for his return. 

If Iowa State can get into the paint on offense for some easy baskets, that will make their lives much easier on Saturday. Furthermore, they are a team that prides themselves on controlling that area defensively and this should be a fantastic matchup to watch.