Tamin Lipsey's immediate status up in the air for Iowa State basketball

AMES – Iowa State men's basketball finds itself in a less-than-enviable position at the moment, despite being very much in the thick of things in the Big 12 with a 2-2 league mark.

The 20th-ranked Cyclones are heading into a road game against a Top 25 opponent with the availability of their point guard and most important player in question.

Tamin Lipsey is day-to-day with a shoulder sprain the sophomore suffered late in Iowa State’s blowout loss Tuesday at BYU. The Cyclones play at No. 22 TCU on Saturday (1 p.m.; ESPNU).

“As far as what that’s going to mean for Saturday, we don’t know,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said Thursday. “We’ll continue to do what our medical staff (advises) and what’s in his best interest for his health and well-being.”

Lipsey has been a one-man band for Iowa State (13-4, 2-2) this season, leading the team in scoring (14.5), rebounding (5.5), assists (5.6) and steals (3.4). Beyond his counting stats, the 6-foot-1 Ames native is critical to both Iowa State’s defensive efforts and getting his teammates involved offensively.

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“We have to step up offensively and defensively because he does both,” freshman Milan Momcilovic said. “That means more shots for everyone. A couple guys are going to have to step up."

Iowa State potentially will have to navigate striking a difficult balance of giving itself the best chance to beat the Horned Frogs (13-4, 2-2) while also acknowledging Lipsey’s long-term health is more important.

“Tamin just plays extremely hard,” Otzelberger said. “He’s diving on the floor for loose balls. He plays a physical style of basketball. Everything he does takes a toll, there’s wear and tear on his body.

“He’s not going to change. He’s a winner. He’s a competitor. He’s going to do what it takes. He puts his body on the line, so we’ve got to do our part, in his best interest, to look out for his health and well-being as well.”

There’s also the consideration that Iowa State’s path to the NCAA Tournament is likely to be largely determined on how well it can defend Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones play two home games next week against Kansas State and No. 4 Kansas.

“Obviously we need to prepare like he’s not (playing),” Otzelberger said of practice ahead of the weekend. “Everybody moves one place forward in terms of opportunity that will be out there.”

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That means Keshon Gilbert, who typically splits point-guard duties with Lipsey, probably would get the bulk of the primary ball-handling responsibilities if Lipsey is out. Others, though, also would see an increase in responsibility.

“Guys like Curt Jones and (Jackson) Pavaletzke and Demarion (Watson) have more opportunities with those guard minutes than maybe what they might get on a normal night,” Otzelberger said.

Making matters more urgent for Iowa State, the Cyclones are coming off a lackluster performance Tuesday in which BYU significantly outplayed them.

“Probably our worst game of the season,” Momcilovic said.

Now the Cyclones have to contemplate a situation in which they’re trying to avoid their first back-to-back losses since November without their best player on the road against one of the country’s best.

The Cyclones, though, are undettered.

“We’ll figure it out,” Paveletzke said.

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or  (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tamin Lipsey day-to-day for Iowa State basketball