AMES, Iowa — When the 2024-25 men's basketball season starts, Iowa State will most likely open the season in the AP Top 25 for first time since 2016.
While Iowa State has exceeded low to middle expectations in the first three years of the Otzelberger era, they will have a high bar to clear in 2024-25.
"I know what goes on between our lines and between the lines of the court," said head coach T.J. Otzelberger. "That's where I'm going to be demanding, just like I try to lead by example. I'm going to tell them I don't pay attention to any of it. It doesn't really have anything to do with anything. If we paid attention to it in years past, we would have finished at the bottom of the league based on where people had us."
Iowa State returns their top four leading scorers from last season's Sweet 16 team: Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey, Curtis Jones and Milan Momcilovic.
Unlike in the past, the Cyclones don't have to replace a majority of their scoring.
"Certainly we have an elevated expectation and standard for our team internally on what we can do and how we can do that and those guys, it's where we have a starting point that might be ahead offensively of where we've been in the years past," Otzelberger said.
"I like the expectations for sure, just because last year we didn't have much, and obviously we we did a lot better than people thought. But this year we're going to be really good, and we know that," Momcilovic said.
Even though there's a lot returning to Ames, they know there's a lot to improve on to reach their ultimate goal.
"We know what's expected," said senior guard Keshon Gilbert. "We know how to set the tone in practice every day. I feel like we raise the standard every day, so everybody (has) to come up and, you know, match us. We never come in lackadaisical. We come in here like 'this is what it is here and this is how we're going to do it.'"
"I think I just want to be a better rebounder this year. I think I averaged three something last year." Momcilovic said. "(I) want to get that up to six, and probably a couple more offensive rebounds a game too. I think we're all going to crash this year, so hopefully get more possessions and get more shots up."
Iowa State opens the season at Hilton Coliseum on Nov. 4 against Mississippi Valley State.