Cyclones Can Improve Bracketology Standing in Big 12 Tournament

The Big 12 tournament will provide the Iowa State Cyclones with a chance to improve their NCAA tournament seeding.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches the game from the beach against Houston during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 16, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones finished the 2025-26 men’s college basketball regular season with a 25-6 record.

It was one of the best regular seasons in program history, but plenty of work remains to be done. This has the potential to be a special campaign for the Cyclones, who have consistently performed like one of the top teams in the country.

Heading into the Big 12 tournament, where they are the No. 5 seed with a bye into the second round, they are still a No. 3 seed in the East Region in the Bracketology update provided by Joe Lunardi of ESPN.

Based on the current projection, Iowa State is set to face the No. 14 seed East Tennessee State Buccaneers, the projected automatic qualifier from the Southern Conference. Projected to be in their pod as the No. 6 seed is the Wisconsin Badgers, an at-large team from the Big Ten.

Iowa State remains a No. 3 seed in Bracketology projections

Mar 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) reacts during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

They’re projected to face the winner of the Play-In Round matchup between No. 11-seeded Santa Clara Broncos, an at-large from the West Coast Conference, and SMU Mustangs, an at-large from the ACC.

Alas, a lot can change between now and Selection Sunday in six days. The Cyclones are a lock for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but they are certainly not locked into being on the three-seed line.

In fact, with a few victories in the Big 12 tournament, they should be moving up the ranks. They will be keeping close attention to the bottom half of their conference tournament, where the Houston Cougars secured the No. 2 seed.

Despite owning a head-to-head victory over Houston, Iowa State is behind them in the NCAA tournament Bracketology projections as well. The Cougars are the No. 2 seed currently in the South Region, which is being hosted at the Toyota Center in Houston.

A lot of eyes will be on Big Ten tournament

Mar 3, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The other teams that the Cyclones and their fans will be keeping a close eye on are the Illinois Fighting Illini and Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten and UConn Huskies in the Big East.

They’re the other teams currently predicted to land No. 2 seeds in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Some will also be keeping track of the Florida Gators, who have ascended the rankings in recent weeks and look poised to earn a No. 1 seed.

If they are tripped up early in the SEC tournament, that last No. 1 seed could be back up for grabs.

Of course, Iowa State can only control so much. If they want to put pressure on the committee to move them up seed lines, they will have to handle their business in Kansas City, Missouri, at the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.