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Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State Basketball Big 12 Opponent Matrix Revealed

Who are the Iowa State Cyclones going to have to face off against more than once in the men's basketball season?
Kenneth Teape|
Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) drives with the ball around Kansas Jayhawks guard Jayden Dawson (1) during the second half in the Big-12 conference basketball showdown on Feb. 14, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) drives with the ball around Kansas Jayhawks guard Jayden Dawson (1) during the second half in the Big-12 conference basketball showdown on Feb. 14, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Iowa State CyclonesKansas JayhawksOklahoma State CowboysWest Virginia Mountaineers

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has a lot of talent to replace from their 2025-26 season.

It will be interesting to see how the five transfers, Jaquan Johnson, Ryan Prather Jr., Leon Bond III, Tre Singleton and Taj Manning do in replacing Tamin Lipsey, Nate Heise, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson in the rotation.

Iowa State also has three incoming freshmen in the Class of 2026 who can chip in: Yusef Gray Jr., Christian Wiggins and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan.

This roster may not have as much star power as the 2025-26 group, but this is a deep and talented squad T.J. Otzelberger has assembled. They are also catching a bit of a break when it comes to their Big 12 schedule.

Iowa State 2026-27 opponent matrix revealed

Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger addresses the media after a first round game.
Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger addresses the media after a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Tennessee State Tigers at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

The opponent matrix has been revealed, with the Cyclones learning which conference foes they will have a home-and-home against, which they will welcome to Hilton Coliseum for a singular matchup and which teams they will have to travel to face.

This past season, Iowa State had home-and-home matchups with the Baylor Bears, Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State Cowboys. This upcoming campaign, they will repeat Kansas and Oklahoma State in home-and-home sets and will be adding the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Going on the road to face the Jayhawks has been a tough task for the Cyclones, but getting to face two teams that finished .500 or worse during Big 12 play this past season is certainly a fortunate break, especially because they aren’t projected to be more than middle-of-the-pack teams.

As for the home-only matchups, Iowa State has some good luck again. They won’t have to visit Tucson or Provo during the 2026-27 season, with the Arizona Wildcats and BYU Cougars both set to come to Ames.

They also get to host the Cincinnati Bearcats, who defeated the Cyclones at Fifth Third Arena last season. The TCU Horned Frogs are another team that Otzelberger’s squad lost to on the road that will be welcomed to Hilton Coliseum with revenge on their minds.

Rounding out the home conference schedule will be the Kansas State Wildcats and Utah Utes.

For their road trips, visits to the Houston Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders present massive challenges. The Red Raiders were the only visiting team to win at Hilton Coliseum during the 2025-26 campaign.

The Cyclones will also be on the road to face the Arizona State Sun Devils, Baylor Bears, UCF Knights and Colorado Buffaloes.

18 Big 12 games are on deck for the 2026-27 campaign, with plenty of intriguing matchups in one of the best conferences in the nation.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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