AMES — The Cyclones are going dancin’ again, but they’re doing it without Keshon Gilbert.

The Iowa State men’s basketball team got the No. 3 seed it felt it deserved and the regional designation it wanted, but the Cyclones (24-9) didn’t get the news they wanted when it came to their starting guard.

Gilbert, who sat out the entirety of ISU’s regular-season finale at Kansas State and the Cyclones’ Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal loss to BYU, will remain sidelined with a lingering muscle strain according to head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

“We’ve decided that he needs to focus on his rehab and getting his body back right, so he won’t be available as we move forward,” Otzelberger said.

Gilbert is Iowa State’s second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game and the team leader in assists (4.1). He averages 1.7 steals per game and is one of the Cyclones’ defensive stalwarts.

Otzelberger fully expects to have junior point guard Tamin Lipsey back in action, however, after Lipsey sat out the Cyclones’ loss to BYU with a groin strain.

“We fully anticipate he’ll be ready to go for our game on Friday,” Otzelberger said.

Lipsey averages 10.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Cyclones, who will face No. 14 Lipscomb (25-9) on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The winner will face the victor between No. 6 seed Ole Miss and either San Diego State or North Carolina on Sunday.

Iowa State is making its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Otzelberger, making him the first coach in Cyclone history to achieve such a streak in his first four seasons.

Lipscomb was the automatic qualifier out of the Atlantic Sun Conference after beating No. 2 seed North Alabama in the championship game. It’s the first NCAA Tournament berth for the Bisons since 2018.