No. 1-Ranked Teams Don't Want To See Iowa State Cyclones on Their Schedule

The Iowa State Cyclones have proven to be giant-killers in recent years when facing top ranked teams.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play from the side line against Stonehill during the first half in the NCAA basketball on Nov. 17, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclons faced a massive test when they traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana, to play against the No. 1-ranked Purdue Boilermakers.

Considered by many to be legitimate national title contenders, the trip to Mackey Arena was a great measuring stick opportunity for the Cyclones. And it was a test that they passed with flying colors.

Iowa State went into a hostile environment and handled business with ease, blowing out Purdue, 81-58. It was a historic performance by the Cyclones, with the 23-point difference tying the largest loss for a No. 1-ranked team ever.

Iowa State is giant killers in men's basketball

Dec 6, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Dominick Nelson (11) shoots the ball during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

As shared by Chris Hassel of CBS Sports, that wasn’t the only history made by Iowa State. They became the only program in history to record multiple 20+ point wins over No. 1-ranked teams.

The first occurrence came not too long ago. The Cyclones dominated the Houston Cougars, defeating them on March 16, 2024, in the Big 12 conference championship game.

Another insane note from @CBSSports research. Only 1 program in history has multiple wins over #1 teams by 20+ points. It’s Iowa State. And it happened in a span of 21 months.

March of 2024: Beat #1 Houston by 28
Dec of 2025: Beat #1 Purdue by 23

— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) December 6, 2025

T.J. Otzelberger’s squad got the job done on both ends of the court against the Boilermakers. They took full advantage of Purdue’s defensive game plan, which is to pack the paint and allow 3-point attempts, knocking down 11 of 23 attempts.

Milan Momcilovic, Joshua Jefferson and Killyan Toure all knocked down three 3-pointers in the matchup.

A normally stout Boilermaker defense had no answer for an explosive Iowa State attack. They shot 54.1% overall from the field. Momcilovic was the only Cyclones player to attempt double-digit shots in the game, in what was a true, well-rounded offensive attack.

He led the squad with 20 points scored and was one of four players to score in double-figures. Dominykas Pleta was the only player who didn’t score at least seven points who played at least 10 minutes in the game.

Iowa State turning into powerhouse program

Oct 22, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks to media during Big 12 Menís Basketball media day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

What made these performances against Purdue all the more eyebrow-raising was that they came on the road in one of the most hostile environments in college basketball. Mackey Arena is considered one of the best homecourt advantages in the country, but Iowa State quieted the crowd early on.

Of course, this isn’t anything new for the Cyclones. As shared by ESPN Insights on X, Iowa State is the first team to win three consecutive meetings against AP Poll No. 1-ranked opponents since the Boston College Eagles did it from 2009-2017.

Iowa State is the first team to win 3 consecutive meetings against the AP No. 1 team since Boston College did so from 2009-17 🌪️ https://t.co/Wf5vm5L5I0

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) December 6, 2025

As if that isn’t impressive enough, all three of those victories have come away from the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum.

Otzelberger has this team playing at a high level and should be viewed as a legitimate contender for the national title.