Undefeated Iowa State Cyclones Making Moves in Men's Basketball AP Poll Top 25

The Iowa State Cyclones are moving in the right direction of the men's basketball AP Poll Top 25.

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The Iowa State Cyclones took a trip to Las Vegas last week to participate in the Players Era Festival and handled business.

In their opener, they defeated the St. John’s Red Storm 83-82 in a thrilling back-and-forth game. That outcome actually kept the Cyclones from playing in the championship game or third-place game because of the tiebreakers that were in place.

Since they defeated the Creighton Bluejays in Game 2, 78-60, their +19 point differential wasn’t enough to participate in a game that would result in more NIL money being earned by the program.

As a result, they faced off against the Syracuse Orange in a consolation game. After sleepwalking through the first half, they dominated after halftime, taking their frustrations out on an overmatched Syracuse squad, winning 95-64.

Where is Iowa State in AP Poll Top 25?

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Now 7-0 on the season, Iowa State is starting to make a move in the AP Poll Top 25. They had one of the biggest jumps this week, going from No. 15 to No. 10.

A top-10 spot was also earned in the NET Rankings. T.J. Otzelberger’s squad came in at No. 7 in the first edition of those rankings this season.

In the AP Poll, only the Vanderbilt Commodores had a larger jump up the rankings. They were No. 24 last week but now sit at No. 17 after a successful Feast Week, picking up wins over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, VCU Rams and Saint Mary’s Gaels to win the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Clones on the Rise 📈#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/TJBi0YInVb

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) December 1, 2025

The Cyclones’ first opponent in the Players Era Festival, St. John’s, suffered the largest drop. They recovered in their second game to defeat the Baylor Bears 96-81, but suffered their third loss when they were beaten by the Auburn Tigers 85-74 in their consolation matchup.

Iowa State is going to have a chance to move up even further next week with the big-time matchup looming this weekend.

Cyclones will put ranking to the test against Boilermakers

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After hosting the Alcorn State Braves on Dec. 3 at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones will face their biggest test of the season on Saturday, Dec. 6. They will be heading to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena.

Currently the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Poll and considered by many to be the favorites for the national title, Iowa State is in for a measuring stick game against the Boilermakers.

Hopefully, star point guard Tamin Lipsey will be available for that contest. He suffered a groin injury in the final minutes against the Red Storm and didn’t play against the Bluejays or Orange.

The Cyclones are going to show an abundance of caution with him. It would not be a surprise if he is held out of the game against Alcorn State to ensure that he is as close to 100 percent ready to take the court against Purdue, should he be cleared.