Iowa State Cyclones Continue to Rise in College Basketball Power Rankings

The Iowa State Cyclones are once again building momentum.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play against Colorado during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 29, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are continuing to roll, playing some excellent basketball with March right around the corner. 

It was another perfect week for the Cyclones, who won both games convincingly. The team is now 20-2 through 22 games, and they are riding a modest four-game winning streak. During that span, the team has been playing some of their best basketball on both ends, blowing out their opponents with some crazy starts to the game. 

Iowa State has clearly made it their mission to jump teams early and it has worked out really well. With the success of late, the Cyclones are starting to head back in the right direction and are performing like a true contender for the Final Four. With it being a light week with just one game, Iowa State will be seeking to handle business against the Baylor Bears on Saturday and continue their momentum. 

Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently wrote about his men’s basketball power rankings. After being ranked eighth last week, the Cyclones were able to move up to sixth with a couple of teams ahead of them slipping up. 

Iowa State Rightfully Moves Up

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Following their two-win week along with some other teams ahead of them losing, the Cyclones moving up two spots makes a lot of sense. Ahead of them last week were the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Michigan State Spartans. However, with both teams losing games this past week, their drop made sense. The Spartans have really fallen, going from seventh last week to 14th now. 

While Iowa State continues to move up, a majority of the teams ahead of them have been staples in the Top 5 of late. The Arizona Wildcats have been able to remain undefeated and are clearly the team to beat in the country right now. Furthermore, there are some other really strong teams that have been operating in the Top 5 as well. 

Despite the Cyclones rolling of late, they will be having a tough part of their schedule coming up over the next several weeks. The Big 12 is loaded with some of the best teams in the country, and Iowa State is going to have to start facing them soon. 

If they are able to pick up victories over teams like the Wildcats and Houston Cougars in the coming weeks, they will be able to improve their resume and potentially get back to being a number one seed come March.