Players Era Festival Has Proven Iowa State Cyclones are Legitimate Contender

Are the Iowa State Cyclones a contender based on their performance from the Players Era Festival?

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger reacts during the second half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Creighton Bluejays at Michelob Ultra Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to continue to build momentum at the Players Era Festival with an impressive win over the Creighton Bluejays in their second game in as many days. 

It was a thrilling start to the Players Era Festival for the Cyclones on Monday against the St. John’s Red Storm. Iowa State was able to secure their best win of the season with an 83-82 victory. The Red Storm has been considered to be one of the best teams in the country, and the Cyclones were able to get a signature victory. 

However, while the victory for the program was great, they did see their star point guard, Tamin Lipsey, get injured in the matchup. As one of the key players of the team, Lipsey getting hurt and missing the end of the game was far from ideal. 

In his absence, the Cyclones showcased their depth in the final couple of minutes to hold on to a win. Due to it being so early in the campaign, Lipsey didn’t play in their second game of the tournament against the Bluejays, and that was very understandable. 

Iowa State Further Proves Their Legitimacy 

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Coming into the Players Era Festival, the Cyclones knew that they were going to be tested, and they certainly were right out of the gate. The matchup against the Red Storm had the feeling of a March Madness game, and that is great for the growth of both programs. 

Iowa State was able to come away with the win, and its easy schedule to start the campaign now feels like a thing of the past. While the victory against St.John’s was impressive, so was the game against Creighton. Even though the Bluejays might not be as good as they have been in years past, this should still be a top half of the league team in the Big East. 

With Lipsey being ruled out before the game, this matchup figured to be a lot harder than initially expected. However, despite one of their best offensive players being out, the team looked strong on both ends of the court and won this game comfortably. 

Wins without a top player are always encouraging for the program, and the Cyclones should be very pleased with how they performed on both ends of the court without their star. With two straight wins against good Big East opponents, Iowa State has proved they are a true contender this year.