Iowa State Cyclones Make Much-Deserved Major Move Up Men's Basketball Ap Poll Top 25

How high up did the Iowa State Cyclones move in the AP Poll Top 25 this week?

Nov 17, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger talks to his players late in the game against the Stonehill Skyhawks during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has been arguably the most dominant squad in the country through the first month of the season.

They are steamrolling everyone who has faced them, starting the campaign with nine straight wins. These aren’t all against mid-majors and overmatched teams visiting Hilton Coliseum for buy games; they’re also dominating Power Conference schools.

The Cyclones have won their games by an average of 30 points, with only one team, the St. John’s Red Storm, losing by fewer than 16 points. That dominance includes a trip to West Lafayette, Indiana, where Iowa State blew the doors off the Purdue Boilermakers.

The No. 1-ranked team at the time of the game suffered a historic 23-point loss at Mackey Arena. That tied the largest margin of deficit for the top-ranked team in the AP Poll era, and catapulted the Cyclones up this week’s rankings.

Where is Iowa State in AP Poll Top 25?

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play from side line during the first half against Grambling State Tigers on Nov. 6, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State landed at No. 4 this week, moving up six spots from No. 10. They ended Purdue’s three-week reign at the top, as they tumbled five spots to No. 6.

The only teams ahead of the Cyclones now are the Arizona Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines and Duke Blue Devils. Iowa State, which has never been ranked No. 1 in the history of its program, did receive one vote to be atop the Top 25 this week.

Still Climbing! 📈#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/fDrEptt7d4

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) December 8, 2025

This was a wild week for the AP Poll, with only the No. 5 UConn Huskies and No. 12 Alabama Crimson Tide being the only teams that remained in the same spot as last week. The 23 other spots all feature new teams, including the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Virginia Cavaliers and UCLA Bruins moving into the rankings at Nos. 23, 24 and 25.

Iowa State will face stiff competition from Big 12

Dec 6, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Karchenkov (8) celebrates after he scores a three pointer against the Auburn Tigers during the first half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Big 12 has been asserting its dominance over the other Power Conferences all throughout the non-conference schedule. They are now tied with the Big Ten and SEC with six teams apiece in the Top 25.

However, the Big 12 has two teams ranked in the top four and four in the top 10, including the No. 1 overall team. Eight of the top 10 spots are occupied by Big 12 and Big Ten programs this week.

UConn and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are the only teams that don’t represent those two conferences in the top 10.

The Cyclones will be looking to cement their status as a top-five team when they host the Iowa Hawkeyes at Hilton Coliseum for the next chapter of the Cy-Hawk rivalry. Their in-state rivals just missed being ranked this week, finishing as the No. 26 team, 19 points behind UCLA.

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