Iowa State Cyclones Dominant Defense Once Again on Display Against Oklahoma State

The Iowa State Cyclones put together a vintage performance defensively against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Jan 10, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys center Benjamin Ahmed (23) and Iowa State Cyclones forward Dominykas Pleta (21) battle for a rebound during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have been as dominant as any team in the country heading into their third Big 12 game of the season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State was 15-0 entering the year, a historic start to the season. It is the most wins to start a single campaign without a loss and the longest winning streak in men’s basketball history that was put on the line against the Cowboys.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Cyclones were able to keep their historic start going, picking up an 83-71 victory on their homecourt, moving to 16-0 overall and 3-0 in conference. Coming into the contest, the game wasn’t expected to be close with a massive spread in Iowa State’s favor.

But Oklahoma State gave them everything they could handle, playing at a very high level out of the gate. The Cowboys led by as many as nine points in the first half, a surprising turn of events when taking into account that they were without Vyctorius Miller, their second leading scorer, averaging 14.9 points per game.

Iowa State picks up victory over Oklahoma State

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) drives with the ball to the basket around Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Christian Coleman (4) during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 10, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A game of contrasting styles, with Oklahoma State being one of the fastest-paced teams in the country, Iowa State was eventually able to control the tempo and gain control of the game. What was a two-point game at halftime quickly ballooned to an 11-point lead before the under-16 timeout in the second half.

The Cyclones have one of the most stifling defenses in the country, and that was on display right out of the gate in the second half. A Cowboys team that entered the game averaging 90.2 points per game was held nearly 20 points below that.

Iowa State held them to 21 of 48 shooting overall and eight of 22 from the 3-point line. It was a slog early on with both teams fouling along. Oklahoma State ended up going 21 of 26 from the charity stripe, and the Cyclones were 24 of 30.

3-0#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/GcUI5XtIrE

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) January 10, 2026

Where Iowa State was able to create the difference was in the turnover department. They converted 15 Cowboys turnovers into 15 points. The Cyclones turned the ball over 10 times themselves, but Oklahoma State wasn’t able to make the most of it, converting it into only four points.

It was far from Iowa State’s prettiest performance, but they still came away with a win. Remaining undefeated should have them moving up to No. 2 in the AP Poll for only the second time in program history after the Michigan State Wolverines were upset by the Wisconsin Badgers for their first loss.

The Cyclones will be back on the court on Jan. 13, traveling to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in a huge early-conference schedule matchup.