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Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Latest Tamin Lipsey Injury Will Complicate Start of Season for Iowa State Cyclones

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 8:21 PM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones look like they are going to be one of the best teams in men’s college basketball again heading into the 2025-26 campaign. However, a lot of that success will be dictated by point guard Tamin Lipsey.

Entering his senior season, there isn’t a player on the team who has as much experience playing for T.J. Otzelberger as he does. An Ames native who stayed in the city to play for Iowa State, he embodies everything his head coach has instilled since taking over the program four years ago.

The only thing that has truly held Lipsey back in any capacity has been his health. Last year, he battled a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery and a hairline fracture in his thumb. Keeping him healthy has been a goal of Otzelberger and his staff this summer, leading into the season.

How long will Tamin Lipsey be sidelined for?

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Unfortunately, they couldn’t even get to opening night with their veteran guard healthy. It has been revealed that during practice on Tuesday, Sept. 23, Lipsey suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee. A 4-to-6 week timetable has been provided for his recovery.

Tamin Lipsey suffered a Grade 2 MCL Sprain in practice today and will miss 4-6 weeks. pic.twitter.com/QTKuCxKUeW
— Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) September 23, 2025

The Cyclones are scheduled to begin their season on Nov. 3 at Hilton Coliseum against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. Six weeks to the day of the injury is Nov. 4, so there is certainly a chance that Lipsey can be in the lineup for the first game of the season.

How effective he will be at that point is a totally different question. If he isn’t going to be participating in on-court activities for at least the next month, the time he will have available to ramp up and get into shape to play in regular-season games will be limited.

This is a brutal blow for Iowa State to deal with at the start of a campaign. For starters, losing a player of Lipsey’s caliber for any amount of time is going to be virtually impossible to overcome. Four-year starters don’t grow on trees, let alone someone who has been with the same program that entire time.

Pressure is on Tamin Lipsey's teammates to step up

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is going to be some major pressure on freshmen Killyan Toure and Jamarion Batemon to help fill the potential void right out of the gate. Iowa State had a big enough hole already to fill in the backcourt with Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert moving on with their eligibility exhausted. Having to potentially replace Lipsey, along with them, at the start of the season is a monumental ask.

Defensively is where the Cyclones are going to have to really figure things out. Their senior point guard is the best point of attack defender in the nation. He is a relentless defender, setting the tone for the rest of his teammates to execute Otzelberger’s game plan to perfection.

Hopefully, this isn’t an injury that lingers. If Lipsey can get back to doing on-court activities before the six-week mark, he shouldn’t miss too much time. But, it is fair to wonder just how impactful he will be in the early going.

Iowa State's early schedule is incredibly challenging

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

He is a tough player, dealing with injuries in the past and not letting them slow him down. But as he works into shape, he may be doing so against some high-ranking competition. Iowa State has non-conference games with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, St. John’s Red Storm, Creighton Blue Jays and Purdue Boilermakers through the first week of December.

Navigating that with a compromised senior leader will be no small task. Otzelberger will almost certainly lean on forwards Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson a little more until Lipsey is ready to assume his normal heavy workload on the court.