Iowa State Shockingly Jumped by Big 12 Rival in Latest AP Poll Top 25

A Big 12 rival jumped the Iowa State Cyclones in the latest AP Poll Top 25.

Feb 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team play the Baylor Bears during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have been handling business recently after suffering their first two losses of the 2025-26 men’s basketball season.

With their victory over the Baylor Bears, they have now won five games in a row since their history-making losses to the Kansas Jayhawks and Cincinnati Bearcats. A 72-69 victory is the first during this winning streak that hasn’t been by double-figures.

Before that, the closest an opponent came was the Oklahoma State Cowboys, losing by 13. The UCF Knights, Colorado Buffaloes and Kansas State Wildcats all lost by at least 30.

As a result of the hot streak, the Cyclones have steadily been moving their way back up the AP Poll Top 25 rankings. They are ranked No. 5 this week, moving up two spots with several top 10 teams suffering losses.

Iowa State Cyclones move up to No. 5, jumped by Houston Cougars

Feb 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; Houston Cougars Head Coach Kelvin Sampson gives instruction during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Marriott Center. | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

However, there was one team that made an even bigger move up the top 10: the Houston Cougars. They moved up five spots, jumping Iowa State in the process and landing at No. 3 behind the Arizona Wildcats, the unanimous No. 1-ranked team, and the Michigan Wolverines.

The five-spot jump is tied for the biggest move in Week 14 with the St. John’s Red Storm. The Big East contenders are riding a nine-game winning streak, with their most recent victory coming over the UConn Huskies, who fell three spots to No. 6.

Rounding out and remaining in the top five despite a loss is the Duke Blue Devils. They were beaten by their biggest rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, in epic fashion, with Seth Trimble knocking down a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the game for a wild comeback victory.

However, the gap between the Cyclones and Blue Devils has closed considerably. In Week 13, there was a 184-point difference in the rankings. This week, that difference is only seven points in the poll.

Movin’ Up 📈#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/IvV9q9xMxB

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 9, 2026

The only undefeated team in the country other than Arizona, the Miami (OH) RedHawks, remains unbeaten with a 24-0 record. They stayed at No. 23 in the rankings, three points behind the BYU Cougars, who lost to Houston and on the road at Oklahoma State this past week.

Six teams from the Big 12 are present in the AP Poll Top 25. Four of them are in the top nine, with Kansas moving up two spots this week. The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the sixth team, coming in at No. 16.

Six representatives are the most any conference has. The Big Ten is tied with the ACC in second with five, while the SEC has four. The Big East has two, with the West Coast, Atlantic 10 and Mid-American all having one.