Otzelberger, Iowa State coming to Sanford Pentagon on Nov. 10 to face Mississippi State

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Iowa State Cyclones will return to the Sanford Pentagon in the 2025-26 season when they play the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a nonconference men's basketball matchup on Monday, Nov. 10.

This marks the second trip to the Pentagon for Iowa State and the debut appearance for Mississippi State. The on-sale date for tickets will be announced later.

The Cyclones, who were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country last season, advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament and finished with a 25-10 record. T.J. Otzelberger returns to the Sanford Pentagon where he coached four times during his tenure as head coach at South Dakota State. Iowa State is 1-0 all-time at the Sanford Pentagon, defeating Colorado 68-62 on Nov. 13, 2015.

Mississippi State, ranked as high as No. 14 last season, was selected as a No. 8 seed for the NCAA Men’s Tournament. The Bulldogs fell in the Round of 64 to Baylor and finished with a 21-13 record. Coach Chris Jans is ranked eighth among active coaches in winning percentage with at least five seasons of experience as a NCAA Division I head coach.

“We’re excited to head to Sioux Falls next season,” said Otzelberger. “Everyone associated with the Sanford Pentagon is first class and we’re looking forward to a great game with a top-tier opponent in Mississippi State.”

This is the fourth NCAA Division I event at the Sanford Pentagon announced for the 2025-26 season. Nebraska will face Oklahoma in men’s basketball on Nov. 15. The Nebraska women’s basketball team will take on North Dakota State on Nov. 16, and South Dakota State will match up against Wyoming in men’s basketball on Dec. 15.

Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state's Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he's worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.