# 2021–22 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by T. J. Otzelberger, who is in his first season as head coach, and ninth season at Iowa State. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa as members of the Big 12 Conference.
The Cyclones started the season 12–0, good for one of the best starts in school history, including being crowned the champion of the NIT Season Tip-Off with wins over 25th-ranked Xavier and 9th-ranked Memphis. In Otzelberger's first season as head coach he claimed the best start to an Iowa State coaching career by winning his first 10 games, ultimately winning his first 12 games before losing at home to #1 Baylor to end his unbeaten start at Iowa State.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Cyclones finished the 2020–21 season 2–22, 0–18 in Big 12 play to finish in last place. They lost to Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Following the winless conference season, the school fired head coach Steve Prohm after six years in Ames. On March 18, 2021, it was announced that the school had hired UNLV head coach and former Iowa State assistant Otzelberger as the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

Offseason Departures :
| Name | Position | Reason |
| Dudley Blackwell | Forward | Entered transfer portal |
| Rasir Bolton | Guard | Transferred to Gonzaga |
| Jalen Coleman-Lands | Guard | Transferred to Kansas |
| Darlinstone Dubar | Guard | Transferred to Hofstra |
| Tyler Harris | Guard | Transferred to Memphis |
| Nate Jenkins | Guard | Transferred to Green Bay |
| Nate Schuster | Guard | Graduated |
| Xavier Foster | Center | Dismissed |
| Solomon Young | Forward | Graduated |
| Javan Johnson | Forward | Transferred to DePaul |
| Blake Hinson | Forward | Quit Team |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Position | Hometown | Previous School | Remaining Eligibility | Notes |
| Izaiah Brockington | Guard | Philadelphia | Penn State | 2 | Brockington was previously at St. Bonaventure for one season before transferring to Penn State. |
| Tristan Enaruna | Guard | Almere, Netherlands | Kansas | 3 | |
| Caleb Grill | Guard | Wichita, Kansas | UNLV | 3 | Grill returned to Iowa State after transferring. |
| Robert Jones | Forward | Prior Lake, Minnesota | Denver | 3 | |
| Gabe Kalscheur | Guard | Edina, Minnesota | Minnesota | 2 | |
| Aljaž Kunc | Forward | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Washington State | 2 | |
| Tre King | Forward | Lexington, Kentucky | Georgetown | 2 | King was previously at Eastern Kentucky before transferring to Georgetown. King never played for Georgetown. |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Tyrese Hunter PG | Racine, Wisconsin | St. Catherine's HS (WI) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 4, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 60 247Sports: 78 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Iowa State 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021. "2021 Iowa State Cyclones Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021. ||||||

## Schedule and results

This is the second season that Big 12 Now on ESPN+ will air a number of Big 12 games. On May 20, 2021, Iowa State announced it would play in the 2021 NIT Season Tip-Off on November 24 and November 26. The tournament also featured Memphis, Virginia Tech, and Xavier. On June 2, the Big 12 announced matchups as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle, with Iowa State traveling to Omaha, Nebraska to play Creighton and former Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott. The game will be played on December 4. Iowa will then travel to Ames as part of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on December 9. On June 23, it was announced that the Cyclones will face Missouri in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. On June 30, Iowa State announced its nonconference schedule.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kennesaw State | W 84–73 | 1–0 | 19 – Kalscheur | 6 – Tied | 5 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,180) Ames, Iowa |
| Nov 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oregon State | W 60–50 | 2–0 | 15 – Kalscheur | 12 – Brockington | 7 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,401) Ames, Iowa |
| Nov 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alabama State | W 68–60 | 3–0 | 23 – Brockington | 13 – Brockington | 6 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,100) Ames, Iowa |
| Nov 21, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Grambling State | W 82–47 | 4–0 | 21 – Kunc | 10 – Conditt | 6 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (10,533) Ames, Iowa |
| Nov 24, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. No. 25 Xavier NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals | W 82–70 | 5–0 | 30 – Brockington | 6 – Brockington | 3 – Brockington | Barclays Center (2,804) Brooklyn, New York |
| Nov 26, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 9 Memphis NIT Season Tip-Off Championship | W 78–59 | 6–0 | 30 – Kalscheur | 8 – Kalscheur | 5 – Hunter | Barclays Center (2,655) Brooklyn, New York |
| Dec 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 19 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 83–64 | 7–0 | 23 – Brockington | 10 – Brockington | 6 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,305) Ames, Iowa |
| Dec 4, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 19 | at Creighton Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 64–58 | 8–0 | 16 – Grill | 7 – Tied | 6 – Hunter | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,294) Omaha, Nebraska |
| Dec 9, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 17 | Iowa Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series | W 73–53 | 9–0 | 29 – Brockington | 10 – Brockington | 6 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, Iowa |
| Dec 12, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 17 | Jackson State | W 47–37 | 10–0 | 12 – Kunc | 7 – Brockington | 3 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,537) Ames, Iowa |
| Dec 19, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 11 | Southeastern Louisiana | W 77–54 | 11–0 | 20 – Grill | 11 – Brockington | 6 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (11,809) Ames, Iowa |
| Dec 21, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 9 | Chicago State | W 79–48 | 12–0 | 20 – Brockington | 13 – Brockington | 8 – Kalscheur | Hilton Coliseum (11,894) Ames, Iowa |
| Jan 1, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | No. 1 Baylor | L 72–77 | 12–1 (0–1) | 23 – Enaruna | 8 – Tied | 4 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, Iowa |
| Jan 5, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 11 | No. 25 Texas Tech | W 51–47 | 13–1 (1–1) | 14 – Brockington | 9 – Brockington | 3 – Tied | Hilton Coliseum (11,699) Ames, Iowa |
| Jan 8, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 11 | at Oklahoma | L 66–79 | 13–2 (1–2) | 20 – Tied | 4 – Brockington | 5 – Conditt | Lloyd Noble Center (8,142) Norman, Oklahoma |
| Jan 11, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | at No. 9 Kansas | L 61–62 | 13–3 (1–3) | 17 – Brockington | 8 – Brockington | 5 – Hunter | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| Jan 15, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | No. 21 Texas | W 79–70 | 14–3 (2–3) | 22 – Kalscheur | 5 – Tied | 8 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, Iowa |
| Jan 18, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 15 | at No. 18 Texas Tech | L 60–72 | 14–4 (2–4) | 17 – Grill | 9 – Brockington | 2 – Tied | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, Texas |
| Jan 22, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 15 | TCU | L 44–59 | 14–5 (2–5) | 19 – Brockington | 12 – Brockington | 4 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, Iowa |
| Jan 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 23 | at Oklahoma State | W 84–81 $^{OT}$ | 15–5 (3–5) | 26 – Brockington | 8 – Conditt | 5 – Tied | Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,271) Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| Jan 29, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 23 | Missouri Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 67–50 | 16–5 | 15 – Brockington | 6 – Brockington | 4 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (13,612) Ames, Iowa |
| Feb 1, 2022 6:00 p.m, ESPN | No. 20 | No. 10 Kansas | L 61–70 | 16–6 (3–6) | 24 – Brockington | 8 – Brockington | 5 – Grill | Hilton Coliseum (13,587) Ames, Iowa |
| Feb 5, 2022 1:00 p.m., LHN | No. 20 | at No. 23 Texas | L 41–63 | 16–7 (3–7) | 14 – Tied | 8 – Allen | 8 – Carr | Frank Erwin Center (13,656) Austin, Texas |
| Feb 8, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Virginia | L 63–79 | 16–8 (3–8) | 22 – Hunter | 6 – Brockington | 4 – Hunter | WVU Coliseum (11,191) Morgantown, West Virginia |
| Feb 12, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Kansas State | L 69–75 $^{OT}$ | 16–9 (3–9) | 27 – Brockington | 8 – Grill | 7 – Conditt | Hilton Coliseum (13,477) Ames, Iowa |
| Feb 15, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at TCU | W 54–51 | 17–9 (4–9) | 20 – Brockington | 7 – Brockington | 4 – Conditt | Schollmaier Arena (5,567) Fort Worth, Texas |
| Feb 19, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma | W 75–54 | 18–9 (5–9) | 22 – Brockington | 5 – Kunc | 7 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (13,746) Ames, Iowa |
| Feb 23, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | West Virginia | W 84–81 | 19–9 (6–9) | 35 – Brockington | 5 – Brockington | 9 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,810) Ames, Iowa |
| Feb 26, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Kansas State | W 74–73 | 20–9 (7–9) | 18 – Grill | 8 – Brockington | 10 – Hunter | Bramlage Coliseum (8,090) Manhattan, Kansas |
| Mar 2, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma State | L 36–53 | 20–10 (7–10) | 13 – Brockington | 7 – Kunc | 3 – Hunter | Hilton Coliseum (12,699) Ames, Iowa |
| Mar 5, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 3 Baylor | L 68–75 | 20–11 (7–11) | 18 – Kalscheur | 6 – Tied | 13 – Hunter | Ferrell Center (9,385) Waco, Texas |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 10, 2022 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (6) | vs. (3) No. 14 Texas Tech Quarterfinals | L 41–72 | 20–12 | 9 – Hunter | 6 – Kunc | 3 – Jones | T-Mobile Center (15,805) Kansas City, Missouri |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 18, 2022 6:20 p.m., TBS | (11 MW) | vs. (6 MW) LSU First Round | W 59–54 | 21–12 | 23 – Hunter | 4 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Fiserv Forum (17,500) Milwaukee |
| Mar 20, 2022 5:10 p.m., TNT | (11 MW) | vs. (3 MW) No. 14 Wisconsin Second Round | W 54–49 | 22–12 | 22 – Kalscheur | 6 – Tied | 5 – Hunter | Fiserv Forum (17,500) Milwaukee |
| Mar 27, 2022 8:55 p.m., TBS | (11 MW) | vs. (10 MW) Miami (FL) Sweet Sixteen | L 56–70 | 22–13 | 13 – Tied | 9 – Kunc | 7 – Hunter | United Center (20,857) Chicago |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | 19 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 20 | RV | — | — | RV | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | 23 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 24 | 22 | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | 23 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings. ^Coaches do not release a Week 1 poll.