# Iowa State men's basketball season opener loss

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/iowa-state-mens-basketball-season-preparations
> Updated: 2026-11-01T17:28:11.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2.

The Iowa State men’s basketball team began its 2026-27 preseason with an 83-80 exhibition game loss to Creighton at Hilton Coliseum. Following the exhibition, the No. 18 ranked Cyclones traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for their official season opener against Memphis at the Sanford Pentagon.

On November 1, Memphis secured a major upset by defeating Iowa State 80-76. Jayden Reid led the Memphis Tigers with 26 points, while Luke Almodovar contributed 18 points and Rihards Vavers added 15. For the Cyclones, Ryan Prather Jr. scored 19 points and Dominykas Pleta recorded 15. 

The matchup was marked by physical play, resulting in 50 combined fouls and 65 free throw attempts. Although Iowa State dominated the paint and bench scoring, they struggled with long-range shooting, connecting on only 20 percent of their three-point attempts. This loss represents the first time in the T. J. Otzelberger era that Iowa State has started a season with a losing record.

## Timeline

### 2026-11-01: Memphis upsets No. 18 Iowa State in season opener

Memphis opened their season with an 80-76 upset victory over No. 18 Iowa State in Sioux Falls, led by Jayden Reid’s 26 points.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/iowa-state-and-memphis-prepare-for-season-opener-in-sioux-falls

### 2026-10-17: Creighton men's basketball defeats Iowa State in exhibition game

Creighton men’s basketball defeated Iowa State 83-80 in a preseason exhibition game, led by freshman Katrelle Harmon's 16 points in his debut under new head coach Alan Huss.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/iowa-state-mens-basketball-to-face-creighton-in-exhibition-opener

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Cite as: Iowa State men's basketball season opener loss. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/iowa-state-mens-basketball-season-preparations