No. 10 Iowa State seeks to topple top-ranked Purdue Saturday on the road

AMES — Iowa State’s Blake Buchanan and Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer share a common bond.

Both are represented by ProMondo Sports, and they worked out together in the summer — but that’s where the similarities end for the Cyclones’ versatile big man and the Boilermakers’ slick-shooting guard.

“He was telling me how crazy it is (at Mackey Arena), so I’m excited for it,” Buchanan said.

That’s because No. 10 ISU (8-0) will face top-ranked Purdue (8-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind. CBS will broadcast the game to a national audience. The Cyclones will compete in their 16th top-10 matchup in program history, with nine coming under fifth-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

“They’ve got, arguably, the best or one of the best coaches in the country (Matt Painter), and they’ve got a great home court,” said Otzelberger, who called Painter a mentor and good friend. “So they’ve got a lot going for them. It’s gonna be important for us to control the things that we can, to do the things that we incorporate every day as our daily habits, because we realize there (are) a lot of things about their team, their program, their players, their coaches, that are really special.”

Speaking of “special,” there’s a chance the Cyclones’ star senior guard and leading scorer Tamin Lipsey could suit up for the first time after missing three games with a groin injury. Reserve guard Dominick Nelson also could return from a one-game absence as he recovers from a lower-body injury.

“Tamin practiced (Friday),” Otzelberger said. “We’ll keep evaluating him as we go into. The game, but that’s a positive sign that he did practice, so we’ll reevaluate him when we get to the hotel (Friday) afternoon, and evaluate him again (Saturday) morning. We won;’t put him in a position to do anything his body’s not ready to do. At the same time, if all signs point to him being ready to go, then we’ll look for him to play.”

Lipsey’s played a key role in most of Otzelberger’s 12 wins against top-10 teams since he took over ISU’s program in 2021-22. Purdue’s Painter is 12-5 in his career in top-10 matchups, including a 7-1 mark since the 2023-24 season. So expect a tense and rugged 40 minutes of heated competition in a game advanced analytics website, KenPom, has pegged as a five-point Boilermakers win.

“They’re a team that (has) tremendous physicality on the interior,” Otzelberger said. “They’ve got elite guard play.”

In other words, Purdue’s as complete a team as the Cyclones will face all season — and however Saturday’s matchup turns out, fresh building blocks will emerge for the rest of the season.

“It’s really cool,” said Nate Heise, the Cyclones’ senior guard and defensive captain. “I haven’t been able to play a team ranked that high yet. So, we try not to look at the ranking but it’s also something you know. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

It could also be humbling, but that’s why top-tier teams seek to get such high-profile matchups on their schedules, particularly for a home-and-home series, as Purdue will play ISU in Hilton Coliseum next season.

“Our fans deserve that and it’s something we’re gonna keep working really hard to find those opportunities,” Otzelberger said. “But it’s my responsibility, overall, to make sure that the schedule we play is best for that team on that given year, and we’ve put a lot of intent into it.”

So has Buchanan, whose ability to both facilitate and shine above the rim make him a central figure in the Cyclones’ bid to spoil the Boilermakers’ 36-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents.

“It’s a big opportunity,” the Virginia transfer said. “They’re solid bigs; they’re strong, they’re physical. So just going out there and doing my job’s gonna be really important, and I know I can do it, so it’s just (about) executing.”

The Cyclones seek their fifth win all-time over a No. 1 team — and two of those triumphs have come under Otzelberger.

“We believe in the formula and the habits and the way we do things every single day,” Otzelberger said.

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