NBA Draft Prospects Shine in Fiery Iowa State-Houston Matchup

Monday night’s college basketball slate featured one of the top games of the year: No. 2 Houston taking on No. 6 Iowa State in Big 12 play.

There’s parallels between both the Cougars and Cyclones. Both teams are thought of to be contenders for Final Four runs this postseason, taking defense more seriously than most. Additionally, both squads have tons of potential draft prospects, ranging from upperclassmen to true freshmen.

Ultimately, Iowa State was able to make it out with a win at home, though it wasn’t without intrigue with just a three-point margin.

The top draft contributor on the night was Kingston Flemings, who was far-and-away the Cougars’ most important player, and is the top projected draftee of the bunch.

Flemings came in with little 2026 draft stock, but quickly surged up boards with superstar-level play in a tough system. Every bit of that was on display against ISU, as he scored a game-high 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including four of his six 3-point tries.

Flemings did turn the ball over three times, but was one of a few players capable of generating and hitting open shots against a tough Cyclones’ defense.

Iowa State has been a torture chamber for NBA draft picks. Prior to its matchup tonight vs. Houston, the Cyclones held projected first rounds picks to:

12.6 PPG
1.6 AST
2.4 TOVS
0.6 AST:TO
47.1 TS%

Flemings is the only premier prospect to find success against a defense that… https://t.co/EqRiXPYxvl pic.twitter.com/IpsAIqzcyZ
— Latif Love (@realLatifLove) February 17, 2026

Flanking Flemings was fellow five-star Chris Cenac, a center who saw a tougher game by his standards. He scored just seven points on eight shots, but did manage 12 important rebounds, five of which were offensive.

The Cougars’ upperclassmen performances included 11 points on eight shots from Milos Uzan, and NBA-level defense from JoJo Tugler highlighted by three blocks.

On the winning side, Joshua Jefferson led Iowa State statistically, going for 12 points, six rebounds and five assists to zero turnovers. He was a steadying presence overall, scoring when needed and generating open looks for others by ball-moving.

Senior Tamin Lipsey saw a lesser night scoring the ball, but stuffed the stat sheet down to the wire, adding nine points, eight rebonds — one of which was effectively game-ending — with four assists and a steal. Milan Momcilovic, the top 3-point shooter in college basketball, was limited by Houston’s defense, scoring just eight points on nine shots.

The last potential pro was true freshman Killyan Toure, who has popped via legitimate defense on the perimeter. He was unable to stop Flemings in totality Monday, but still showed plenty of skill that NBA teams will be looking for in totaling six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Regardless of result, both Iowa State and Houston proved themselves championship contenders, and the team's prospects will continue to hone their skills as March near.