Preview: Iowa State Cyclones vs St John's Red Storm in Players Era Festival

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play from side line during the first half against Grambling State Tigers on Nov. 6, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Preview: Iowa State Cyclones vs St John's Red Storm in Players Era Festival

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Nov 24, 2025 2:00 PM ET

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The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set for the Players Era Festival in what should be one of the best basketball tournaments of the season.

With some of the best teams in the country heading to Las Vegas for Feast Week, all eyes will be on this tournament. For the Cyclones, this is going to be an excellent test at the early stages of the season.

So far, the schedule for Iowa State has been a bit on the easier side, but that will be changing very quickly. With some of the best teams in the country coming to Las Vegas, the Cyclones will be starting up the tournament with a marquee matchup against the St. John’s Red Storm. With games going on throughout the day, here’s how to watch the opening matchup for Iowa State.

Who: St. John’s Red Storm vs. Iowa State Cyclones

When: Monday, November 24, 2025, 4:30 PM ET

Television: TruTV

Where: Michelob Ultra Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

This game has the potential to be one of the best of the entire tournament, with both of these teams playing well coming into the game and each being in the Top 25. The Red Storm already has one loss this year to the Alabama Crimson Tide, who will also be playing in Las Vegas.

St. John’s had a great offseason and was able to reshape their roster quite a bit after a fantastic campaign in the 2024-25 season. Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches in the country, and he will be entering the Players Era with a veteran team that is going to be a tough matchup.

The Red Storm plays well on both sides of the court but has been a bit better on the defensive end. Similar to the Cyclones, St. John’s likes to play fast on the offensive end, and this game could have some excellent pace to it. One problem that has plagued the Red Storm early on this season is their three-point shooting. Even though Iowa State isn’t great in that department either, St. John’s has really struggled in that area.

This is going to be the most challenging game of the season thus far for the Cyclones, but there is reason to believe that they are the better team right now. The Red Storm might have had a lot of hype coming into the year, but Iowa State has performed very well and could take this one in Las Vegas.

This article first appeared on Iowa State Cyclones on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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