Iowa State Cyclones Women's Basketball Is Leading Country in Unique Metric

The Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team has quite the following.

Jan 21, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly watches his team play the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones women’s basketball team looks to have gotten things back on track after a brutal stretch.

After winning their first 13 games of the season and joining the men’s team in the top 10 of their respective AP Polls, Iowa State hit a rough patch. They lost five games in a row, dropping contests to the Baylor Bears, Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Colorado Buffaloes and Oklahoma State Cowboys.

However, they have gotten back on track over their last two games. In a rematch against Cincinnati and their first game against the Arizona Wildcats this campaign, the Cyclones came away victorious.

A 93-68 victory was recorded over the Bearcats, while the Wildcats were defeated 90-65. It was quite a stretch for Jada Williams, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for his dominant performances.

Iowa State women's basketball is most watched team in country

Iowa State Cyclones' center Audi Crooks (55) looks for drive to the basket as Arizona Wildcats forward Nora Francois (13) defends during the third quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball on Jan. 24, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And the fan base was providing support even when the team was on the road, or they couldn’t make it to Hilton Coliseum for a game. As shared by the official Iowa State women’s basketball page on X, there isn’t a team in the country drawing as many viewers as the Cyclones.

According to Nielsen ratings, Iowa State is the most-watched women’s team in the country. Their rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes, are No. 2, with the USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Oklahoma State rounding out the top five.

It is certainly a surprise that the No. 1 team in the country and defending national champions, the UConn Huskies, aren’t even in the top 10 of viewership numbers according to Nielsen.

The Most-Watched Women’s Basketball Team in the Country 👀📺

🌪️🏀🌪️ pic.twitter.com/UTdj6kIcGU

— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) January 27, 2026

The Cyclones remaining in the top spot despite the five-game losing streak speaks volumes about how strong the fan base is and their dedication to supporting and following the team. Through thick and thin, the fans are offering support.

Audi Crooks, Jada Williams provide Cyclones with plenty of star power

Jan 24, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Jada Williams (8) scores on a fast break against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

It is easy to get behind Iowa State as well, given some of the talented players on the team. As mentioned previously, Williams, a transfer from Arizona, is coming off a historic scoring stretch.

The 44 points that she scored against Cincinnati were the most in Hilton Coliseum history and the most a Cyclones player has ever scored during Big 12 competition. She earned the conference Player of the Week Award, helping take pressure off of the team’s other star, Audi Crooks.

Her 7.6 assists per game are the most in the Big 12.

The dominant center leads women’s basketball, averaging 26.3 points per game. She got off to a historic start this season and hasn’t slowed down at all.

Crooks is making 67.5% of her shot attempts, which is leading the Big 12. Her effective field goal rate of 66.7% is also the best mark in the conference.