Iowa State advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament with an 82-63 comeback win over Kentucky on Sunday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Tamin Lipsey finished with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, and 5 steals to lead the No. 2 seed Cyclones, who overcame the No. 7 seed Wildcats without injured All-American Joshua Jefferson.
College Basketball Experts Praise Iowa State’s Defensive Masterclass Against Kentucky
College basketball experts discussed the Iowa State-Kentucky second-round game, highlighting how the Cyclones shut down the Wildcats’ offense in the second half and maintained their lead to reach the Sweet 16, even without Jefferson, who was sidelined with a sprained left ankle.
Field of 68 co-founder and analyst Jeff Goodman praised Iowa State’s strong defensive effort in holding Otega Oweh and the Wildcats to 43 points after they scored 20 points early in the game.
“Iowa State’s defense, man. Been incredible for most of today’s game,” Goodman wrote.
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Denzel Aberdeen and Oweh led the way for the Wildcats with 20 and 18 points, respectively. However, the rest of the Wildcats managed only 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting, as the world-class defensive specialists Kentucky head coach Mark Pope mentioned did their job of keeping Iowa State in the game despite going blank early.
Ryan Hammer of Trapezoid of Excellence was impressed by the Cyclones’ relentless pressure defense, which forced the Wildcats into 20 turnovers and resulted in 25 points off turnovers for Iowa State.
Kentucky hasn’t played a defense like Iowa State’s all year & nothing remotely close to that ball pressure, blitz, trap & active hands in SEC play.
20 turnovers for the Cats.
Took a bit but ISU offense got ROLLING in the 2H. Clones headed to Chicago for the Sweet 16🌪️
— Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) March 22, 2026
Field of 68 co-founder Rob Dauster mentioned that the Iowa State coaching staff, led by head coach TJ Otzelberger, built a competitive team despite having a smaller NIL budget and defeated one of the nation’s highest-paid programs this season.
He wrote: “Iowa State beating Kentucky by 20 plus without their All-American should be surprising, but it isn’t. It is telling. Of the importance of roster fit, culture, and development. They lost a star, but he was just a cog in the machine. That’s how a team with ~1/3 of the NIL can win a game like that.”
Tamin Lipsey Leads Iowa State With Historic Performance Against Kentucky
Lipsey’s presence was felt everywhere on the court, serving as a key disruptor on defense to stop Kentucky’s early offensive push while helping Iowa State’s offense get started and maintain momentum.
CBS Sports’ college basketball insider Jon Rothstein described the 6-foot-1 guard’s performance as “never before seen” in four seasons of wearing the Cyclones’ uniform.
Have never seen Tamin Lipsey play better.
26 points, 10 assists, and three rebounds.
Iowa State pounds Kentucky without Joshua Jefferson.
Two Sweet 16’s in three years for T.J. Otzelberger.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 22, 2026
Lipsey then said in an interview with Goodman after the game that they felt a sense of urgency to win for Jefferson and were determined to secure the victory.
Milan Momcilovic scored 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting to help Lipsey’s offense, while Nate Heise added 12 points and Killyan Toure contributed 10 for the Cyclones. They shot 46.7% and only turned the ball over 7 times.
Iowa State’s victory over Kentucky earned the Cyclones another trip to the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 6 Tennessee, which upset No. 3 Virginia, 79-72.
