UConn Blowing Out St. John's Is Bad News for Iowa State's Tournament Outlook

Moving up seed lines in the NCAA tournament just became a lot more difficult for the Iowa State Cyclones.

Feb 25, 2026; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (4) works for the ball against UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) and guard Braylon Mullins (24) in the second half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones know that they have to handle their own business if they want to make program history and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

However, they don’t completely control their own destiny. That went out the window a little bit when they lost to the BYU Cougars in Provo a few hours after the NCAA shared their Top 16 preview for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Iowa State was the last No. 1 seed in the original preview, along with the Duke Blue Devils, Michigan Wolverines and Arizona Wildcats. Those three are still on the one-line, but have since been joined by the UConn Huskies.

Losing at home to the Creighton Bluejays was a massive blow to their stock. But they have done a great job rebounding since. They defeated the Villanova Wildcats in the following contest and may have cemented their status as a No. 1 seed, dismantling the St. John’s Red Storm.

UConn blowout win over St. John's is bad for Iowa State

Feb 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger looks on during the game against the Utah Utes during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

That victory by UConn is a double whammy against the Cyclones. It is another Quad 1A victory for the Huskies, who are going to be difficult to surpass and overtake for a one-seed as long as they don’t have any more slipups ahead of Selection Sunday.

It also slightly worsens one of Iowa State’s best victories this season. In the Player’s Era Festival, they defeated St. John’s in a thrilling one-point victory that helped put T.J. Otzelberger and his squad on the national map.

The Red Storm are highly regarded, but having a victory over a team that could have swept UConn would have certainly improved the Cyclones’ stock and case to earn a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Movin' Up#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/lLkXZNtM4e

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 23, 2026

With the Huskies back in the driver’s seat, there is a little more pressure on Iowa State to finish the season strong. They have two huge contests awaiting: the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 28 and a trip to Tucson to face Arizona on Big Monday on March 2.

Winning both of those games could be enough to push them back ahead of UConn for a No. 1 seed. But their path to program history has certainly been complicated by the Huskies beating the Red Storm by 32 points.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold down the stretch of the regular season and in the conference tournaments. Iowa State certainly has some work to do, but it might need some help from other teams along the way.