Start Time, Channel Revealed for Iowa State Cyclones Game Against Purdue Boilermakers

A premier out-of-conference matchup between the Iowa State Cyclones and Purdue Boilermakers on the hardwood is getting the national television treatment.

Mar 18, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard (30) drives around Purdue Boilermakers forward (50) during the second half of the game in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is highly regarded heading into the 2025-26 season. They are going to almost certainly start the season in the top 25 for the second straight year, a feat that has been accomplished only one other time in program history, from 2014 through 2016.

Iowa State is going to have ample opportunities to earn that spot in the top 25 throughout the campaign. The Big 12 is loaded with high-end competition, including legitimate championship contenders such as the Houston Cougars and the BYU Cougars.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Arizona Wildcats would also like to throw their hats into that ring. Both of those programs have a strong chance of being ranked ahead of the Cyclones in the preseason polls as well.

Not only will Iowa State be facing incredibly difficult competition in the Big 12, but they are also going to be challenged in their non-conference schedule. There are matchups scheduled with projected top-five teams, the Purdue Boilermakers and St. John’s Red Storm.

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Purdue Boilermakers set for national television

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The game against the Boilermakers, being held at Mackey Arena in the first game of a home-and-home series, is going to be on national television.

As shared by the Cyclones men’s basketball team official account on X, the premier matchup is set to tip off at 11 am CT/12 pm ET on CBS. The date for the matchup was previously set for Dec. 6.

You Won't Want to Miss This One. 🍿#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/GItff8J3IH

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) October 7, 2025

That could be a busy day for Iowa State fans. It is the same date that the Big 12 championship game is set to be played for the college football title. An electric atmosphere could be in store for Ames should both teams be playing in marquee matchups.

The men’s basketball team faces a tall task heading on the road to West Lafayette. The Boilermakers are projected by many to be the early favorites to take home the championship this season with elite offensive potential. If they can figure things out defensively, they are dangerous.

Playing on national television is something that the Cyclones have to get used to during the 2025-26 campaign. They are going to be featured prominently with some big-time matchups.

Iowa State will be featured prominently on national television

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State is going to be featured twice on ESPN’s “Big Monday” matchups. On Feb. 16, they will be hosting Houston at Hilton Coliseum. Two weeks later, they will travel to take on Arizona in Tucson.

Just two days before their game against the Cougars, the Cyclones will be on national television for a Big 12 clash against the Kansas Jayhawks. That game will be featured on ABC.

Games against St. John’s and the Creighton Bluejays as part of the Players Era Classic tournament in Las Vegas will almost certainly be on national television as well. It wouldn’t be surprising if the matchup with their in-state rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes, is also televised nationally.

If that exposure isn’t enough, T.J. Otzelberger’s group will be hosting the first Big 12 game of the year at Hilton Coliseum. On Jan. 2, they are set to host the West Virginia Mountaineers to kick off the conference schedule.