Iowa State Cyclones Need To Figure Out How To Snap Troubling Recent Trend

A troubling trend has developed for the Iowa State Cyclones leading to some poor performances.

Jan 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger answers questions from the media after his team’s game against Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

After moving up to No. 2 in the AP Poll Top 25 on the back of a historic start, the Iowa State Cyclones have hit a skid.

They have lost two games in a row, both on the road. First, it was the Kansas Jayhawks who blew them out, 84-63. This weekend, the Cincinnati Bearcats picked up one of their most impressive victories in years, winning 79-70.

In both games, the Cyclones played uncharacteristically sloppy on both ends of the floor. They didn’t take care of the ball as effectively on offense as they normally do, and their defense wasn’t as consistently disruptive and impactful.

While the two losses are certainly disappointing, it could be the exact kind of wake-up call that the Cyclones need. They were able to win their first 16 games of the season, but there were some issues arising even while they were racking up wins.

Slow starts are plaguing Iowa State

Jan 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts as he stands on the court during a stop in play against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Slow starts are something that head coach T.J. Otzelberger spoke about between the loss to Kansas and playing against Cincinnati. It is something the coaching staff is aware of and has been plaguing the team for more than a month.

As shared by Chris Hassel of CBS Sports, slow starts are something that Iowa State has been dealing with against Power Conference teams going back to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas before Thanksgiving.

In their third game of that tournament, against the Syracuse Orange, they trailed 16-14 midway through the first half. That started a brutal streak that was continued by the Bearcats.

Iowa State has trailed at the 10-minute mark of the first half in eight consecutive games. In the first six instances, they were able to get things on track and pick up victories. Five of them turned into double-digit wins.

The score at the 10-minute mark of the 1st half in Iowa State’s last 8 games against power competition:

Down 23-13 at Cincy
Down 22-14 at KU
Down 22-16 vs OKST
Down 13-11 at Baylor
Down 17-15 vs WV
Down 15-12 vs Iowa
Down 18-16 at Purdue
Down 16-14 vs Syracuse

— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) January 17, 2026

That has not been the case in their last two Big 12 contests, both of which came on the road. Slow starts ultimately did them in against the Jayhawks and then again against Cincinnati. It was also their two biggest deficits, trailing by nine points and then 10.

It is something that Otzelberger and his staff have to figure out. Coming out of halftime, the Cyclones are on the opposite end of the spectrum and dominate their Power Conference opponents through the under-16 timeout.

They have to figure out how to bring about that same attention to detail and production at the start of the game to avoid these slow starts and early holes. Iowa State played with fire for a few weeks, but it has come back to bite them in their last two games.