Iowa State Receives Fair Big 12 Basketball Standings Projection

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has turned into one of the most consistently productive programs in the country under head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

He has been at the helm for five seasons, taking over for Steve Prohm, who went 2-22 in his last campaign. That didn’t stop Otzelberger from finding immediate success, leading the Cyclones on an unexpected run to the NCAA tournament in Year 1.

He has continued to build upon that success, qualifying for the tournament every year. Alas, Iowa State hasn’t broken through yet, reaching the Sweet 16 three times but never advancing beyond that point. Some bad breaks have occurred, such as Justin Jefferson suffering a nasty ankle injury just minutes into their Round of 64 game against the Tennessee State Tigers this past March.

With Jefferson no longer with the program, along with the departure of Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic, the Cyclones are lacking star power. But that shouldn’t keep them from competing in the Big 12 once again.

Where did Iowa State land in Big 12 projected standings?

Iowa State men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger talks to media during Cyclone Tailgate Tour. — Iowa State men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger talks to media during Cyclone Tailgate Tour at Curate on may 18, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Projections were done for the conference by Myron Medcalf of ESPN, and Iowa State is expected to fare rather well. The cumulative rankings have them coming in at No. 5, which is one spot behind where they finished last season; the Cyclones were No. 4 via tiebreakers after finishing in a three-way tie with the Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Both of those squads are projected to finish above Iowa State in this exercise, coming in at Nos. 2 and 3. The other teams ahead of the Cyclones are the Arizona Wildcats, who are projected for first place, and the Houston Cougars, who landed at No. 4.

These projections are incredibly fluid, given all of the impending eligibility lawsuits around the country. The 5-for-5 rule has created another wave of transfers, and the Big 12 has taken full advantage, with the most redshirt senior acquisitions in the country: 12.

Arguably the best player in that market, Jaxon Kohler, transferred to the BYU Cougars, who are No. 6 in the projected standings.

Projecting Iowa State is difficult with so many new faces

Iowa State’s Jaquan Johnson talks to media during the men’s basketball media availability. — Iowa State’s Jaquan Johnson talks to media during the men’s basketball media availability at the university’s Sukup Basketball complex on July 28, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The landing spot for Otzelberger’s crew feels more than fair given some of the uncertainty surrounding the team. Losing their Big 3 certainly hurts, but they are returning the second-most points scored of any team in the league.

However, they are certainly lacking in terms of star power compared to some of the other elite teams in the Big 12. Also, the injury to Killyan Toure, who is expected to be sidelined until January because of shoulder surgery, makes projecting Iowa State a challenge.

He is a key part of their plans heading into his sophomore year as one of the elite point-of-attack defenders in the sport. The pressure will be on transfer Jaquan Johnson, returning sophomore Jamarion Batemon and transfer Ryan Prather Jr. to fill the void in the backcourt created by Toure’s injury.

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