Latest bracketology for the Iowa State men’s basketball team

The Cyclones fall off the No. 1 seed line thanks to latest string of defeats

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) defends as Kansas State Wildcats' guard Dug McDaniel (0) looks for pass the ball during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Feb 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just a short week ago, the Iowa State men appeared locked in as a No. 1 seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

But boy, oh boy, things have definitely changed since that time.

The Cyclones have dropped three in a row, including a pair of back-to-back blowout losses to Kansas State and Kansas. Iowa State is set tor return to action on Saturday when they host TCU. 

Here are how the major bracketology gurus have the Cyclones set up:

Iowa State drops to a No. 2 in the West

ESPN’s latest projections still have the Cyclones heading out West, they are just the No. 2 now instead of the No. 1. That honor goes to Tennessee, with Texas A&M the No. 3 and Wisconsin the No. 4.

Iowa State would match up with Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round and could face two-time defending national champion Connecticut in next if the Huskies were to get by Ohio State. Texas A&M, Oregon and BYU are among those likely to be waiting in the Sweet 16.

USA Today also sees the Cyclones as the No. 2 seed in the West, matching them up first with Cleveland State. Clemson or Vanderbilt would be next with a possible rematch against three-seed Marquette in the Sweet 16. 

The top-half of the bracket includes new No. 1 seed Florida along with Missouri, Michigan and Baylor.

CBS Sports drops Cyclones all the way to the three-line

Jerry Palm with CBS Sports has Iowa State all the way down to a No. 3 seed, still sending them out West. Palm has the Cyclones paired up with Towson in the opening round, with either Mississippi State or Ohio State awaiting from there.

Texas A&M is the No. 2 and would be standing in the way of Iowa State advancing. He has Tennessee as the top-seed in the region with Texas Tech and Connecticut in the top-half.

Like CBS Sports, DRatings.com projects Iowa State on the three-line with fellow rival Kansas, Texas A&M and Kentucky. They feature Auburn, Duke, Alabama and Houston as No. 1 seeds with Tennessee, Florida, Purdue and Marquette the No. 2s.