Monday, February 16th, 2026

 #6 Iowa State 70, #2 Houston 67

WOW. Tonight I took Nolan over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched probably the most exciting basketball game that I have ever been to. From the opening tip to the final play, the crowd inside Hilton was probably the best that I have been a part of.  Just tons of energy.  Of course the game was of huge significance, as it was a battle of top-10 teams.  So, when Iowa State fell behind by a score of 63-53 with about seven minutes to play, the team (and the fans) really had to dig deep to come out on top.  The Cyclones were able to end the game on a 17-4 run after that. Each of the 8 players that played for the Cyclones today scored at least 6 points, and the bench players really stepped up.  Jamarion Batemon made a 3 with a little over 2 minutes to play that put Iowa State on top 66-65.  Houston scored on the next possession before Nate Heise made the play of the night for Iowa State. He sank a 3 from the corner as the shot clock expired to put ISU up for good. Tamin Lipsey had a huge rebound for ISU down the stretch as well.

So, I would say the player of the game tonight was Nate Heise, who scored 11 points (including the clutch 3 at the end).  He was joined in double figures scoring by Joshua Jefferson (12) and Blake Buchanan (10). 

Tonight's game is the 52nd men's basketball game that Nolan has attended.  After tonight, there are only 3 teams left in the Big 12 that he has not witnessed Iowa State defeat (Arizona State, BYU, and Cincinnati). I believe that this is the 4th time that Nolan has seen the Cyclones defeat a top-25 team.  The previous games were against #22 Arizona last year, #5 Marquette last year, and #8 Kansas in 2023. 

As for myself, tonight's game is the first meeting I have seen between the Cyclones and Houston.  It was also the 11th time that I have seen Iowa State knock off a top-10 team.  The previous games were:

• #5 Marquette last season
• #7 Kansas in 2024
• #7 Texas in 2023
• #8 Kansas in 2023
• #5 Kansas in 2019
• #8 Texas Tech in 2018
• #9 Baylor in 2017
• #1 Oklahoma in 2016
• #9 Kansas in 2015
• #7 Michigan in 2013

GO STATE!

Saturday, February 7th, 2026

 Happy 9th birthday Logan!

The main reason I wanted to blog today was because I was able to take Nolan over to Hilton Coliseum, where we watched the #7 Iowa State Cyclones hold off Baylor, 72-69.

While the final score ended up close, the Cyclones really were never in a position to lose the game.  They were leading by 14 points with just over 2 minutes to play, before Baylor went on an 11-0 run to end the game.  Milan Momcilovic was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led the team with 21 points. He was joined in double figures by Joshua Jefferson (15) and Tamin Lipsey (14).  Iowa State now has a record of 21-2, and things seem to be lining up nicely for them to be well-seeded in the NCAA tournament. 

Today's game marks the 51st time that Nolan has been to an ISU men's basketball game, and it was his third time watching the Cyclones play Baylor. The previous games he has attended between the Cyclones and Bears were in 2022 and 2018. As for myself, this was the ninth matchup between these teams that I have seen.  That includes Cyclone wins today as well as in 2025, 2023, 2018, 2017, and 2013. The Bears came out on top in 2022, 2019, and in 2015. 

Today's game was a "white out", and they had white pom poms on every seat.

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

#8 Iowa State Cyclones 97, Colorado Buffaloes 67.

Tonight Maxwell and I enjoyed watching the Cyclones cruise to an easy victory over Colorado.  The game really was a blowout from the start, as the Cyclones raced out to a 30-4 advantage to start the game. It was difficult to pick tonight's player of the game, but I will go with Tamin Lipsey, who scored 14 points and dished out 5 assists.  He was one of six Cyclones who were in double figures scoring.  The others were Jamarion Batemon (17), Milan Momcilovic (16), Joshua Jefferson (13), Killyan Toure (12), and Dominykas Pleta (12). 

I am always glad when one of the boys gets to cross off another conference opponent.  As of now, the only 5 Big 12 teams that Maxwell has not seen the Cyclones defeat are: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Houston, and Utah.  Today's game was the 41st men's basketball game that I have taken Maxwell to.  It was the second time that I have watched the Cyclones play the Buffaloes (that I can remember anyways). The previous game was in 2025.  

Maxwell was happy that Colorado scored "6-7".

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

 Well, I have a lot to blog about today...

First, our family just got back from a fun vacation to Seattle!  Our flight got back to Minneapolis around 11:30 PM last night, and then we drove all the way home (it was about 3:45 AM when we got back to Ames).  We flew out to Seattle on Friday morning, so we had over 3 days out there.  The main reason for the trip was to visit Christian & Emily's family, and to meet baby Ellis!  Right now Oscar is 6 years old, Arlo is 3, and Ellis is 6 months.  

In Seattle we were able to check out Pike Place Market, we stopped by to add to the gum wall, and we had the kids play at a few different parks (Gas Works park was one that the kids really enjoyed). We also had plenty of good food, but my favorite was making our own crab and shrimp boil at Christian & Emily's place.  We bought a bunch of Dungeness crab, some shrimp, Andouille sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob, and Emily cooked it all in a big pot with some Old Bay seasoning.  Maxwell had really been looking forward to trying some crab, so I wanted to make sure that he had the chance.  Really the highlight of the trip was just letting all of the kids have some good time with their cousins.  

Elizabeth meeting Ellis for the first time!

The Salton family at Pike Place market.

All of the cousins at the gum wall.

 The other thing that I wanted to blog about today was #9 Iowa State's convincing 87-57 win over the UCF Knights.

The Cyclones really seemed to play well as a team, as five players scored in double figures.  The star of the show was Joshua Jefferson, who recorded another triple double!  Jefferson ended up with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists (and no turnovers). This was the 10th triple-double in Iowa State history, and I believe that Jefferson is now the first player in Big 12 history to record two triple-doubles in league play.  He was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Milan Momcilovic (20), Jamarion Batemon (12), Killyan Toure (12), and Blake Buchanan (11). 

Another fun thing to note is that this was Nolan's 50th ISU men's basketball game that he has attended!  Plus, he was able to cross UCF off of the list of conference teams that he needs to see Iowa State defeat.  The only 4 teams left that he has not seen ISU beat are Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston. I believe that this is Nolan's 17th conference win.  Oh, and Nolan even managed to grab a t-shirt at today's game!

As for myself, this is the second time that I have witnessed the Cyclones play (and defeat) UCF in basketball.  The previous time was last year's game, where the Cyclones won 108-83. 

Iowa State 87, Central Florida 57.

Saturday, January 10th, 2026

 #3 Iowa State 83, Oklahoma State 71.

Tonight I am happy because Maxwell was finally able to cross Oklahoma State off of his list of conference foes that he has seen ISU defeat, which now means that he has seen the Cyclones beat all of the "Old Big 12" teams. Of course there are still 6 other "New Big 12" teams that he needs to collect.  That includes Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Houston, and Utah. Today's game was actually the third time that Maxwell has seen the Cyclones play against the Cowboys, including 2022 and 2018. This was the 40th men's basketball game that I have taken Maxwell to.

I believe that Oklahoma State is actually the conference opponent that I have seen play against the Cyclones the most, as today's game is the 11th meeting I have seen between the two teams. That includes Cyclone victories today and in 2024, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, and 2013. The Cowboys have won in 2022 and 2018. 

For today's game, I would say that Joshua Jefferson was the player of the game.  He led the team with 19 points.  He also chipped in 5 rebounds and 5 assists.  He was joined in double figures scoring for the Cyclones by Milan Momcilovic (18), Killyan Toure (12), Tamin Lipsey (11), and Blake Buchanan (10). One thing about today's game was that there were tons of fouls called, and the teams combined to shoot 56 free throws.  That did make the game drag on longer than usual.

GO CYCLONES!!

Friday, January 2nd, 2026

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tonight I am excited because Nolan and I just got back from Hilton Coliseum, where we watched the 3rd-ranked Iowa State Cyclones defeat West Virginia, 80-59.

The most memorable part of today's game was seeing Joshua Jefferson record a triple-double!  He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists!  Jefferson even added 3 steals and 2 blocks, so he really stuffed the stat sheet.  Milan Momcilovic also had quite the game for Iowa State, as he scored 26 points while shooting 8/10 from three.  They were joined in double figures scoring for ISU by Blake Buchanan (14) and Tamin Lipsey (12).  Jefferson's triple-double is only the 9th in team history for Iowa State. The Cyclones are a perfect 14-0 on the season, and 1-0 in Big 12 play.

Tonight's game was the 49th ISU men's basketball game that Nolan has attended, and it was the third time he has seen Iowa State take down the Mountaineers (2024 and 2022 were the others).  

As for myself, this was the eighth basketball game that I have seen between Iowa State and West Virginia.  That includes Cyclone wins in 2024, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2013, and tonight. the Mountaineers won in 2020 and in 2017. 

It is worth noting that I have also witnessed triple-doubles by Keshon Gilbert vs New Hampshire in 2023 and Monte Morris vs The Citadel in 2016. 

GO CYCLONES!

Monday, December 29th, 2025

 #3 Iowa State 89, Houston Christian 61.

Tonight I went by myself over to Hilton Coliseum to watch the Cyclones defeat the Huskies of Houston Christian.  The Huskies are members of the Southland Conference, and of course they are located in Houston, Texas.

As for tonight's game, I would say that the Cyclones gave a somewhat lackluster effort, as they were only leading by 10 points with under 10 minutes left to play.  Then the Cyclones went on a 20-2 run to put the game away.  Joshua Jefferson was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led the team with 23 points.  He was joined in double-figures scoring by Blake Buchanan (16), Milan Momcilovic (13), and Killyan Toure (11).  

On another note, I believe that the kids enjoyed Christmas.  We did not have to travel anywhere, so we enjoyed time at home.  The big present that the kids received was a PlayStation 5!  I'm actually not sure who is more excited for it... the kids or myself.  Besides the PS5, we enjoyed lots of Christmas cookies, and I made Swedish Meatballs for the kids.