Arizona-Iowa State scouting report: On McKale's enviroment and senior goodbyes

No. 4 Iowa State (24-5, 11-5) at No. 2 Arizona (27-2, 14-2) | McKale Center at Alkeme Arena | 7 p.m. | ESPN | 1290-AM, 92.5-FM (Spanish)

Probable starters

ARIZONA

0 G Jaden Bradley (6-3 senior)

5 G Brayden Burries (6-4 freshman)

18 F Ivan Kharchenkov (6-7 freshman)

10 F Koa Peat (6-8 freshman)

13 C Motiejus Krivas (7-2 junior)

Key reserves

30 F Tobe Awaka (6-8 senior)

3 F Anthony Dell’Orso (6-6 senior)

2 F Dwayne Aristode (6-8 freshman)

IOWA STATE

5 F Joshua Jefferson (6-9 senior)

22 F Milan Momcilovic (6-8 junior)

3 G Tamin Lipsey (6-1 senior)

27 G Killyan Toure (6-3 freshman)

23 C Blake Buchanan (6-10 junior)

Key reserves

1 G Jamarion Batemon (6-3 freshman)

21 C Dominykas Pleta (6-11 freshman)

0 G Nate Heise (6-5 senior)

How they match up

The series: Arizona leads the all-time series 5-4 after the teams each defended their homecourts during UA’s first swing through the Big 12 last season. Caleb Love’s 60-foot buzzer beater at the end of regulation and subsequent overtime heroics led the Wildcats to an 86-75 win over the Cyclones at McKale Center on Jan. 27, 2025, but Iowa State avenged that game with an 84-67 win in Ames on March 1, 2025.

Iowa State overview: Taking over a team that went 0-18 during the COVID year of 2020-21 before he arrived, Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger has quickly turned the Cyclones into a national power. Even after they were ranked just No. 16 in the preseason, having lost two starters and Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year in Curtis Jones, the Cyclones were back in the top five entering Monday's AP poll.

The Cyclones are doing it this season with an aggressive defense that ranks seventh nationally in defensive turnover percentage (22.0) and 14th in defensive steal percentage (12.8). Offensively, they are efficient from inside and out, shooting 56.9% from two-point range and ranking sixth nationally with a 3-point percentage of 39.2. 

Inside, forward Joshua Jefferson shoots 51.2% from two and 36.8% from 3-point range, while drawing 5.8 fouls per 40 minutes. Leading scorer Milan Momcilovic (17.4) is a prolific 3-point shooter (7.4 attempts per game) who leads Division I in 3-point percentage (50.9), while reserve Nate Heise is a 31.9% shooter who hit a late go-ahead 3 to help Iowa State beat Houston on Feb. 16.

Point guard Tamin Lipsey has nearly a 4-to-1 assist-turnover ratio, while averaging 13.0 points a game and ranking 51st nationally with a steal percentage of 3.9.

Iowa State has lost two of its past three games. The Cyclones fell 79-69 at BYU on Feb. 21, but after winning at Utah later on that road swing, returned home to lose 82-73 to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Red Raiders took a 16-point halftime lead and held off the Cylones in the second half, while making 14 of 29 3-pointers and holding Iowa State to 8 of 24.

Iowa State’s other losses were all away from home: At Kansas, Cincinnati, TCU and BYU.

Key players

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IOWA STATE

Joshua Jefferson

In his second season with the Cyclones, the Las Vegas product and former Saint Mary’s forward is ranked second in Kenpom’s analytically based player of the year rankings behind only Duke’s Cameron Boozer. He’s added much-improved 3-point shooting (36.8) to his ability to get to the line and score inside, while he also ranks nationally in steal (2.9) and block (3.3) percentage.

ARIZONA

Koa Peat

Getting Peat back to play against Kansas and Iowa State could help the Wildcats clinch the Big 12 title, but the longer road is more important. UA needs him fully healthy to maximize its chances for a long NCAA Tournament run.

Sidelines

More, please

Having essentially challenged Arizona fans before the UA-Kansas game Saturday to provide the top-notch environment Kansas is known for having at Allen Fieldhouse, UA coach Tommy Lloyd praised the loud response.

He also wondered if it could happen more often.

“Our crowd was great today, and our crowd generally is very, very good,” Lloyd said after Saturday's matchup. “So let's not act like it's not. But if you want to be in that top, top tier — we're talking top five, and we know we want to be there as a program — I think it takes a little, just a little more intention from the fans.

“Just understand the impact you have on the game and how much more fun you have. Are you having more fun if you're screaming and yelling than if you're just sitting there nervous?"

Lloyd has often spoken of UA men’s basketball as a rallying point for the community, something that could benefit fans and players alike.

“You felt the community rise up today, and I think that's really special," Lloyd said. "My deal is like, 'Why don't we do that every time? Why don't we make it a celebration every time? Why does it just depend on who we're playing?'

"Let's continue to think of our program being in the center of the community, as a galvanizing force for the community. That's why I love being the head coach here.”

Warm watch party

After holding its final Bear Down Bash before Saturday’s game, UA showed the Kansas-Arizona game on the video screen behind the main stage, creating a watch party for those who weren’t attending the game inside McKale.

But the record-breaking heat put a new twist on it. During the Bear Down Bash, fans mostly clustered under the trees near where a line of 40 UA football players were signing autographs and under the canopy immediately in front of the stage.

Lloyd said it was his hope to have regular sellouts at McKale, with watch parties and other events like Saturday’s held outside.

“The dream is eventually tickets at McKale are really hard to get, we're counting on sell outs consistently, and building events around the game,” Lloyd said on his radio show. “Basketball games can be a hub for the community to gather, and have a watch party outside, hopefully with a little bit of happy hour vibe to it, and some live music and things like that.

“I'll stick to coaching and let the promoters stick to promoting, but that would be really cool if we could continue to make our game day experiences better. I think they have gotten better, over the last couple years. So let's keep building.”

Senior goodbyes

Before the Wildcats honor their senior players and managers on Monday, they did so for their senior band and cheer members during timeouts in the second half of Saturday’s game.

As part of it, UA held a “reveal” of the seniors who have worked as Wilma and Wilbur: Marissa Lopez, an intelligence and information operations major, has been in the Wilma costume, while psychology major Geovani Martinez has lived as Wilbur. Both students are from Tucson.

Numbers game

17: Regular-season conference titles Arizona has won or shared between the Pac-10, Pac-12 and Big 12 (not counting vacated titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18)

31: More free throws Arizona has made (305) this season than its opponents have attempted (274) in Big 12 games.

48: Straight AP Top 25 polls that have included Iowa State, the fourth-longest streak nationally and second-longest in the Big 12 behind Houston (122).

— Bruce Pascoe