Ranking Iowa State Cyclones Most Challenging Out-of-Conference Men's Basketball Games

The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team has some incredibly challenging matchups to overcome in their non-conference schedule.

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The Iowa State Cyclones are going to be challenged throughout the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season. The Big 12 is loaded with NCAA Tournament and championship-caliber squads and will be a gauntlet to get through.

Iowa State is going to be battle-tested before even getting into conference play by an incredibly challenging non-conference schedule. Some big-time matchups will be played before Jan. 2, which is the start of the Big 12 season, with the West Virginia Mountaineers coming to Ames.

What are the biggest obstacles they will face? Here are the rankings for the five most challenging out-of-conference games for the Cyclones this season.

5. Mississippi State Bulldogs

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Mississippi State has turned into a consistently productive program under head coach Chris Jans. Since taking over for Ben Howland, who made the NCAA Tournament only once in seven seasons, Jans has gone 3-for-3 in leading his team to the field of 68.

They have won 21 games in all three campaigns and been ranked as high as No. 14 in the country during his tenure.

This matchup is a difficult one for Iowa State because it is only its third game of the regular season. Also, it will be played at a neutral site at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It will be the 100th NCAA Division I game played at The Pentagon.

4. Iowa Hawkeyes

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The annual Cy-Hawk rivalry game will be played at Hilton Coliseum in Ames this year. The Cyclones have started asserting their dominance in this rivalry in recent years, pulling away from their in-state rivals from the Big Ten.

The Iowa State football team was able to get the job done on the gridiron this year, winning 17-13. The men’s basketball team will be looking to keep the rivalry one-sided.

A victory would make it three in a row overall in the series and three straight victories in Ames as well.

3. St. John’s Red Storm

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This will be one of the most highly anticipated non-conference games of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season. The Red Storm are No. 5 in the preseason poll with legitimate national title aspirations, led by legendary head coach Rick Pitino.

St. John’s hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in a ton of highly-ranked players from across the country. So much so, reigning Big East Player of the Year, R.J. Luis, didn’t even return to the program.

There is a lot of firepower for the Cyclones to deal with on the Red Storm. They play a physical brand of basketball, relying heavily on their defense, similar to what T.J. Otzelberger wants from his team.

2. Creighton Bluejays

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The two teams faced off in an exhibition recently, so there will be some familiarity. Almost certainly, neither coach showed too much of their hand, knowing they would be facing off in a regular-season contest on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas.

The No. 23-ranked team in the Preseason AP Poll, Greg McDermott looks to have another strong squad on his hands, even with long-time starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner no longer in the mix and now pursuing his NBA career.

Creighton lands this high on the list in part because this will be the only back-to-back the Cyclones play until the Big 12 tournament in March. Playing them the day after facing off against a talented St. John’s squad is a tall task.

1. Purdue Boilermakers

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The No. 1-ranked team in the preseason poll will be hosting Iowa State on Dec. 6 at Mackey Arena in another highly anticipated out-of-conference game. This isn’t a holiday tournament matchup, either.

These schools agreed to a home-and-home series, with Purdue returning the favor and going to play in Ames next season. Two excellent programs going to the other’s home arena for true road games is what makes the college basketball season so special.

This will be by far the biggest challenge Otzelberger and the Cycones face out of conference. The No. 1-ranked team, on the road; it doesn’t get tougher than that. The other games on this list are all at home or neutral sites.

It is a great measuring stick opportunity that will be presented to Iowa State to see how they stack up against one of the very best.