GAME INFORMATION
Who: No. 5 Iowa State (27-6) vs. No. 1 Arizona (30-2)
Where: T-Mobile Center (18,000), Kansas City (Mo.)
When: Friday, 4 p.m., Tucson time
Watch: ESPN — Dan Shulman (PxP), Jay Bilas (Analyst) & Kris Budden (Reporter)
Listen: Wildcats Radio 1290-AM — Brian Jeffries (PxP) & Reggie Geary (Analyst)
Ames, Iowa, is only 230 miles to Kansas City, driving distance of just 3 1/2 hours. Tucson to K.C. is about 1,200 miles, a road trip of close to 20 hours.
That means Friday’s Big 12 semifinal game at 4 p.m., Tucson time, between No. 5 Iowa State (27-6) and top-seeded Arizona (30-2) will amount to a home game for the Cyclones.
The media in Kansas City is referring to T-Mobile Center as “Hilton South” because of its proximity to Ames, where the Cyclones play at Hilton Coliseum.
Part of the arena’s environment in the first three days was the innovative glass LED court that caused many of the players to slip. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, after conferring with the coaches with teams remaining in the tournament, has announced the court will be replaced by a hardwood court for the semifinal games and championship.
“I can’t say enough how excited I am for our fan base to show up for us (Friday),” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said Thursday after the Cyclones’ 75-53 win over No. 4 Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game. “I know what it feels like in these first two games — we’re in the early time slot — but (Friday) night, to have our fans have the opportunity to drive over (Thursday night), drive over in the morning, and have a great turnout there, will give our guys tremendous energy.”
Arizona and its coach Tommy Lloyd experienced the same feeling when the Wildcats played in the Pac-12 tournament at Las Vegas, which is only about 400 miles from Tucson.
“It (Las Vegas) was McKale North,” Lloyd said in a press conference after Arizona’s 81-59 win over No. 8 UCF. “So we were Iowa State. We were Kansas. So it obviously feels really different for us now.
“But, listen, it’s what we signed up for, so there’s no complaints. I mean, I’m not going to be bitter towards Iowa State fans or Kansas fans for coming to support their team. It’s not an easy haul to get from Tucson to Kansas City. We have an amazing fan base. It looks like the tournament’s going to be here for a while, so I think we better figure out how to win in Kansas City. That’s where my mind’s at.”
When the ball’s tipped Friday, where the game is played won’t matter to an Arizona team that has reached 30 wins in a season for only the ninth time in program history.
The Wildcats are 14-1 away from Tucson, including 9-1 in true road games, this season. They know how to play in tough conditions.
ARIZONA 30-WIN SEASONS
| Season | Record | Coach | Result |
| 1987–88 | 35–3 | Olson | Final 4 |
| 1997–98 | 30–5 | Olson | Elite 8 |
| 2004-05 | 30-7 | Olson | Elite 8 |
| 2010–11 | 30–8 | Miller | Elite 8 |
| 2013–14 | 33–5 | Miller | Elite 8 |
| 2014–15 | 34–4 | Miller | Elite 8 |
| 2016–17 | 32–5 | Miller | Sweet 16 |
| 2021–22 | 33–4 | Lloyd | Sweet 16 |
| 2025-26 | 30-2* | Lloyd | TBD |
Arizona, attempting to reach its second consecutive Big 12 championship game in as many years as it has been in the Big 12, is projected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament that starts next week. Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Iowa State as a No. 2 seed.
Arizona has an opportunity to be the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament with a Big 12 tournament championship. Iowa State can strengthen its No. 2 seed with a conference tourney title.
Lloyd is not one to look that far ahead, not with what he called the “monster” of the Big 12 tournament at hand.
“It’s a monster. It’s a monster,” Lloyd said. “We’ve been in it two years. Every game’s tough. There’s no easy games.”
The Wildcats have won seven straight games after the victory over UCF.
Iowa State (27-6) overpowered fourth-seeded Texas Tech 75-53 for its third straight win.
The teams met once in the regular season with Arizona recording a 73-57 victory on March 2 at McKale Center.
Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley scored 17 points for the Wildcats in that meeting.
Iowa State shot just 29.2% from the field and 7 of 30 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 40-33.
“(It’s) not too long ago that we went down to Tucson,” Otzelberger said. “And you know that was a game that, truthfully, we weren’t within striking distance for certainly the majority of the second half. We know what a great team they are. I mean, they’ve had one of the best regular seasons of any team in the country.”
Arizona captured its first Big 12 regular-season championship with the win over the Cyclones on Senior Night at McKale Center.
Iowa State briefly cut into the deficit early in the second half, but Arizona responded with an 11-0 run to extend the margin to 21 with 2:59 remaining. The Wildcats shot 54.5% from the field after halftime and 45.8% for the game.
Brayden Burries, who had 21 points against UCF on Thursday, finished with 11 points and six rebounds against Iowa State in the previous meeting.
Anthony Dell’Orso and Dwayne Aristode combined for 16 points off the bench. Arizona’s reserves outscored Iowa State’s 28-17.
The Wildcats held a 17-9 edge in fast-break points.
Defensively, Arizona forced 16 turnovers and limited Iowa State to 29.2% shooting overall.
Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 17 points but needed 15 shots. Joshua Jefferson added 12 points despite shooting 2 of 17 from the field while mostly guarded by Koa Peat.
Arizona also capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 23 of 26 attempts. The line was a problem for the Wildcats against UCF with a 17-of-31 performance, including 9 of 19 in the second half.
The Wildcats outscored Iowa State 24-16 in the paint and 10-5 on second-chance opportunities almost two weeks ago.
“We’ll obviously look back at that (game film) and see what worked and what didn’t work and see what kind of adjustments we can make,” Lloyd said. “But we have a lot of respect for Iowa State and their program, and I have a lot of respect for T.J. and the job that he’s doing. I have a lot of respect for their players.
“Like I said, we’re looking forward to the challenge. We’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
The Cyclones have won their first two games of the Big 12 tournament by a combined 71 points with their 49-point, second-round victory over Arizona State on Wednesday, setting a tournament record for largest winning margin.
Jefferson posted double-doubles in both victories and had 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the win over Texas Tech. He helped Iowa State to a 39-29 rebounding edge.
“The rebounding battle is the most important thing on the court,” Jefferson said. “I think when we do that to the highest level, we’re going to come out victorious.”
Lipsey made four 3-pointers and scored 20 points against the Red Raiders, who led 17-5 early in the game.
“Just knowing it’s a long game, it’s a 40-minute game,” Lipsey said. “They came out right away and made some shots. But we knew we would hit some shots down the road. Just kept playing defense and hit some shots.”
Arizona also was hot at the outset of its game with UCF, building a 35-8 lead with 7:38 left in the first half. Although the Knights cut the lead to 12 points, the Wildcats outscored them 35-29 in the second half after leading 46-30 at halftime.
“The objective in these tournaments is to get to the next one, and that’s mission accomplished,” Lloyd said.
ARIZONA NOTES
The Wildcats are 10-2 in conference tournament games under Lloyd, the most wins among all major conference schools since the start of the 2021-22 season. … Burries now has 518 points this season, becoming the eight Arizona freshman in program history to surpass 500 points. The list:
Deandre Ayton (2018) 704
Coniel Norman (1973) 576
Lauri Markkanen (2017) 576
Jerryd Bayless (2008) 592
Gilbert Arenas (2000) 523
Stanley Johnson (2015) 523
Brayden Burries (2026) 518
Zeke Nnaji (2020) 515
After his 31-point effort at Colorado last week, Burries joined Peat in the 30-point club, making Arizona the only team with two freshmen that have topped 30 points in a game this season. He has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season, and leads the Wildcats in scoring (16.2 points a game) and steals (52). … Arizona is 31-15 (.674) against Top 25 teams under Lloyd, the second-best winning percentage in the country (Duke is at .675). A win over Iowa State would break Tom Izzo’s record of 31 wins vs. Top 25 in his first five seasons. … After 12 points and 12 rebounds against UCF, Tobe Awaka now has seven double-doubles this season, with five of those coming against Big 12 teams. He has 14 games with 10-plus rebounds this season. … Arizona’s 21-point win over UCF was the 16th win by 20 or more points this season (tied for most in NCAA). … Entering this season, Arizona has appeared in a conference tournament 27 times and advanced to the championship game 14 times, winning the title nine times. … Lloyd was named National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News on Thursday. He is also one of 15 head coaches on the Late Season Watch List for Naismith Coach of the Year. … Lloyd has 142 wins as a head coach, an NCAA record for most wins in his first five seasons. … In five games against Top 10 teams this season, Arizona is 4-1 while attempting just 12 three-pointers per game. In those same games, Arizona is holding opponents to 28.5% shooting from the 3-point line. … Six different Arizona players have made 100 or more field goals this year, one of seven schools in the country and the only major conference school to achieve that. Dell’Orso needs five field goals to be the seventh with 100. … Arizona is holding opponents to 43.5% shooting on 2-point field goals this season, the second-best percentage in the country. … Peat is one of three freshmen in the country with 75 assists, 20 blocked shots and 20 steals this season. He’s the only one that’s done that while shooting over 50% from the floor. … Motiejus Krivas has a career-best 59 blocked shots this season, with 32 of those coming in Big 12 play. He had 25 blocked shots in 44 games over his first two seasons in Tucson.
IOWA STATE NOTES
Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 50 straight weeks, the fourth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston’s 124, which is the longest streak in the country. The Cyclones and Cougars are the only two Big 12 schools to have streaks of at least 30 weeks. … In five seasons under Otzelberger, the Cyclones have been known for their defense, as they have ranked as a top-15 unit in the country each year, and 2025-26 is no different (according to KenPom defensive rating). … Jefferson has recorded two triple-doubles this season, tied for the most in the country. He has been named a finalist for the Karl Malone award. Jefferson became the first player in program history to have multiple triple-doubles in a career. He is just the third Big 12 player with multiple triple-doubles, but is the first to accomplish both in conference games. … Milan Momcilovic has been the nation’s best 3-point shooter this season. He has been named a finalist for the Julius Erving award. Momcilovic has six 25-plus point games so far this season. He was held to only five points in the previous game against Arizona, making 2 of 8 shots from the field, 1 of 5 from 3-point range. Arizona kept a defender on him at all times, including the defender avoiding help-defense situations. … Lipsey holds the most steals in program history and is in the top three in Big 12 history for career steals. … Otzelberger, who was hired at UNLV by Desiree Reed-Francois (now Arizona’s AD), is 221-114 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 122-51 record over the last four years. He earned his 100th win at Iowa State against Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and No. 14 St. John’s in the Players Era Championship opener on Nov. 24. He then earned his 200th win over his mentor and former head coach Greg McDermott on Nov. 25. His 118 wins are the most in the first five years in Iowa State history. … With its win over Texas Tech, Iowa State now has 30 wins over top 25 teams since Otzelberger took over (2021-22). That is the fifth-most in the nation during that stretch. He has led Iowa State to four 20-plus win seasons, joining Johnny Orr (five) and Fred Hoiberg (four) as the only Cyclone coaches to do so four-plus times. … Iowa State has won 25 or more games for just the seventh time in program history. … Otzelberger is the only Iowa State coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16. … This will be the 11th meeting between Iowa State and Arizona. The Wildcats lead the series, 6-4.
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