AMES, Iowa — The beat goes on in Ames under T.J. Otzelberger, who enters his fifth season with a 95-45 record, four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and two Sweet 16s. Three starters return from the 25-win team that was ranked in the top 10 from the preseason until the second week of March. Iowa State begins this season No. 16 in the Associated Press poll and will play an extremely challenging nonconference schedule. The Cyclones were picked fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll.

Players to watch

Tamin Lipsey, one of the nation’s top point guards and the Cyclones’ career steals leader, sat out preseason practices recovering from a knee sprain but will be ready for the regular season. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Joshua Jefferson was a do-it-all man last season, averaging 13 points, a team-best 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals. Milan Momcilovic is a three-year starter and an inside-outside threat who shot 39.6% on 3s last season. Nate Heise turned his game up a notch the second half of the season and was a reliable scorer in the postseason.

Departures and arrivals

Leading scorers Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, who combined for 31 points per game, are gone. Utah Valley transfer Dominick Nelson gives the Cyclones another proven scorer with three 25-point games last season. Virginia transfer Blake Buchanan is not afraid to do the dirty work and is a good fit in Otzelberger’s defense-oriented system. Purdue-Fort Wayne transfer Eric Mulder led the nation in two-point field goal percentage (78.4%).

Top games

The Cyclones open Nov. 3 at home against Fairleigh Dickinson and head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to play Mississippi State on Nov. 10. They play in the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas against No. 5 St. John’s on Nov. 24 and against No. 23 Creighton on Nov. 25. They visit No. 1 Purdue on Dec. 6. Big 12 play starts at home against West Virginia on Jan. 2. They’re at home against No. 2 Houston on Feb. 16 and on the road against No. 8 BYU on Feb. 21.

Facts and figures

Cyclones opponents committed turnovers on 13.2% of their possessions last season, according to KenPom. That ranked second among power-conference teams behind Missouri, whose opponents turned it over 13.4%. … Freshman Jamarion Batemon of Milwaukee is the highest-ranked member of the high school recruiting class. The combo guard averaged better than 20 points per game three straight seasons at Milwaukee Academy of Science. … Freshman Killyan Toure, filling in for Lipsey at point guard, was 7-of-12 shooting with 10 rebounds, five assists and three turnovers in exhibitions against Creighton and Northwestern.

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