Iowa State basketball picked third in coaches poll; Lipsey, Gilbert preseason All-Big 12

The Big 12 Conference announced its 2024-25 preseason men’s basketball coaches poll, all-conference selections and individual awards on Thursday.

Coaches picked Iowa State to finish third in the conference, behind Kansas, the preseason favorite for the 20th time in 28 seasons, and second-place Houston.

The Cyclones finished 29-8 overall and 13-5 in conference play last season. They won the Big 12 Tournament before going on to reach the Sweet 16. Their 29 wins last season were the second-most in program history.

They have a number of key returners from last year, including Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert, who earned preseason All-Big 12 honors in the coaches poll.

Lipsey was named to the preseason All-Big 12 first team. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.7 steals per game last season. Lipsey shot 39.1% from long range last season.

Gilbert landed on the preseason All-Big 12 second team. He averaged a team-high 13.7 points, with 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Coaches also voted on individual preseason awards. Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson was selected as preseason Big 12 player of the year. Baylor’s Jeremy Roach and Kansas State’s Coleman Hawkins were voted preseason Big 12 co-newcomers of the year. Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe was named preseason Big 12 freshman of the year.

Coaches in the league voted on the team standings as well as preseason awards. They were not allowed to vote for their own team or players.

2024-25 Big 12 coaches’ men’s basketball preseason poll

Parentheses indicate first-place votes

1. Kansas (9), 215 points

2. Houston (5), 211

3. Iowa State (1), 194

4. Baylor, 185

5. Arizona (1), 179

6. Cincinnati, 140

7. Texas Tech, 135

8. Kansas State, 133

9. BYU, 116

10. TCU, 90

11. UCF, 83

12. Arizona State, 64

13. West Virginia, 62

14. Oklahoma State, 46

15. Colorado, 37

16. Utah, 30

Preseason All-Big 12 first team

• L.J. Cryer, Houston

• Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

• Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

• Caleb Love, Arizona

• J’Wan Roberts, Houston

Preseason All-Big 12 second team

• Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State

• Dajuan Harris Jr., Kansas

• Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State

• Norchad Omier, Baylor

• Jeremy Roach, Baylor

Individual preseason Big 12 awards

• Preseason player of the year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

• Preseason co-newcomers of the year: Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State, and Jeremy Roach, Baylor

• Preseason freshman of the year: V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor

Reach Eugene Rapay at erapay@gannett.com and follow him on X/Twitter @erapay5.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball picked to finish third in Big 12 coaches poll