Iowa State released its nonconference men’s basketball schedule Wednesday. It includes 11 games, an invite to the NIT Tip-Off and an annual matchup against Iowa.

The Cyclones will look to improve off a 2-22 season, with lots of moving pieces entering the mix. They will try to take advantage of the fact that 10 of their 11 nonconference games are at Hilton Coliseum.

Nov. 9 – Kennesaw State at Hilton Coliseum

New Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger will make his regular-season debut for the Cyclones at home when they host Kennesaw State. The game is one of four-straight home games to start the season. Kennesaw State finished last season with a 5-19 record, and Iowa State is a career 1-0 against them.

Nov. 12 – Oregon State at Hilton Coliseum

This will be Iowa State’s first Power 5 opponent of the season, as they face the Beavers who are coming off an Elite Eight appearance and who are the Pac-12 Tournament champs. Iowa State is 2-1 against them lifetime as Oregon State beat out the Cyclones last time 80-74 on Nov. 9, 2019.

Nov. 16 – Alabama State at Hilton Coliseum 

Alabama State ended its 2021 season with a 4-14 record. Iowa State will look to take advantage of the third-straight home game. The Cyclones are 2-0 in past matchups.

Nov. 21 – Grambling State at Hilton Coliseum 

Iowa State is 2-0 all-time against the Tigers. Grambling State was 12-12 last year but played much better than what its record showed. 

Nov. 24, 25, 26 – NIT Season Tip-Off – Memphis, Virginia Tech, Xavier – Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Iowa State will travel to New York to participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off. The bracket has not been released as of yet so the schedule is unknown. Besides the Cyclones, the other three teams in the bracket all ended last season with winning records. This will be a major test for the Cyclones as they will play three above-average teams in three straight days.

Dec. 1 – Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Hilton Coliseum

The Cyclones will get a little break between the NIT Tip-Off and their next game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Iowa State is 4-0 against them in their four meetings.

Dec. 4 – Creighton (BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle) at CHI Health Center Omaha

This game is already catching eyeballs before the season is even underway. Greg McDermott will play Iowa State, which he once coached from 2006-10. Otzelberger and McDermott are known as good friends, and Otzelberger was an assistant when McDermott was head coach at Iowa State. Creighton lost a lot from their Sweet 16 team that went 22-9, but it reportedly has the best recruiting class in the Big East and the fifth best in the nation. One name from the Bluejays to watch out for is Arthur Kaluma, who is the 46th-best recruit in the 2021 class.

Dec. 9 – Iowa (Cy-Hawk Series) at Hilton Coliseum

It will be interesting to see how the Cyclones perform in these two games. Creighton and Iowa are both Top 25 teams going into the 2021 season. Iowa is coming off a bitter ending to a great season last year. Iowa handed Iowa State an ugly loss last season with a 105-77 win. The Cyclones did add Izaiah Brockington and Gabe Kalscheur, who both dropped 20+ points when they last played Iowa. The Hawkeyes lead the series 29-23 in their 52 matchups.

Dec. 12 – Jackson State at Hilton Coliseum

Jackson State finished the season 12-6 last year and was one of the two wins for Iowa State. The Cyclones beat the Tigers 60-45. 

Dec. 19 – Southeastern Louisiana at Hilton Coliseum

The Lions finished the 2021 season 11-8 and ended in second place in their conference. This will be the first ever meeting between these two programs.

Dec. 21 – Chicago State at Hilton Coliseum

The Cougars did not win a single game last year, going 0-9. This will be the last nonconference game for the Cyclones before they head into conference play. Their last nonconference game is against Missouri in late January.

Jan. 29 – Missouri (Big 12/SEC Challenge) at Hilton Coliseum

The Missouri Tigers are coming off a season in which they had an NCAA tournament appearance. This game is a part of the league-wide challenge between the Big 12 and SEC. Missouri has a record 92-57 against the Cyclones in basketball over the years. This game takes place during conference play and should be a good game.