Iowa State Basketball Will Benefit From Big 12 Court Change

The Iowa State Cyclones have been a team on a mission thus far during the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

They have dismantled their first two opponents, the Arizona State Sun Devils and Texas Tech Red Raiders. Big 12 tournament history was made in their second round matchup, beating Arizona State by 49 points, 91-42.

In their quarterfinal game, they exacted some revenge on Texas Tech. The Red Raiders delivered them their only loss at Hilton Coliseum this season; in the rematch, the Cyclones won 75-53.

Now preparing for a semifinal matchup with the Arizona Wildcats, Iowa State basketball is preparing for a major change: the court is going back to hardwood.

Big 12 changing LED glass court back to hardwood

Mar 8, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Big 12 confetti on the digital floor after the game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the TCU Horned Frogs at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Big 12 announced an innovative idea for their conference tournament this year, with the playing surface being changed to LED glass. Graphics would be shown in real time, but the pros were far outweighed by the cons.

As a result, the LED glass floor is being removed and replaced by traditional hardwood.

"After consultation with the coaches of our four Semifinal teams, I have decided that in order to provide our student-athletes with the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage this weekend, we will transition to a hardwood court for the remainder of the Tournament," commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement after the quarterfinals concluded Thursday night, via ESPN. "We look forward to a great Semifinals and Championship Game."

The Big 12 is getting rid of the LED glass court 👀

(via @PeteThamel) pic.twitter.com/oR5C4lZQzF
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 13, 2026

Basketball has been played on hardwood virtually since its inception. Moving to an LED glass floor was a major change, and one that did have some positives.

There was more give to this kind of floor, making it softer for players who are putting a beating on their lower extremities and joints with all of the jumping and fast movements. However, the surface was not conducive to the level of athleticism these players possess.

There were some issues with grip, as players slipped and fell in nearly every game. It got to the point that a change needed to be made when Christian Anderson, a Texas Tech guard projected to be selected in the middle of the first round in the 2026 NBA Draft, went down with a groin injury against the Cyclones.

Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson said the Big 12's LED court was too slick for these awesome Ja Morant 3s. At halftime, he switched shoes to Kobe VI shoes.

"These shoes right here are probably going to be done for the week," Jefferson said. pic.twitter.com/DbwskwhlhH
— Alec Busse (@alec_busse) March 11, 2026

"Obviously the floor is a bit slippery, so I think I just kind of misstepped or did a movement that caused me to slip and kind of ended up in a little unnatural position," he said, via ESPN. "That's what it was."

Slips can still happen on a hardwood floor, but this is a change that everyone will welcome. Iowa State star forward Joshua Jefferson changed his shoes early in the tournament because the ones he was wearing originally didn’t have enough grip on the court.

While the change is a good one for the Big 12 to make, admitting the LED glass didn’t work, the Cyclones may miss it. They have dominated their opponents to this point and will be looking to exact some revenge on Arizona, with a berth in the championship game on the line.