Iowa State Cyclones Get Revenge on Kansas Jayhawks in Blowout Victory

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to get some revenge from their first loss of the year against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Feb 14, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) finishes a dunk against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones came into Saturday’s marquee matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks in need of a win following a bad loss to the TCU Horned Frogs, and the team delivered. 

It was one of the worst offensive performances of the year for the Cyclones in the loss earlier in the week, and the team needed to respond. Fortunately, despite a sluggish start to the game, Iowa State was able to get things going and really imposed their will on the Jayhawks in the first half. 

As expected, it was their play on the defensive end of the court that really sparked the team. Tamin Lipsey was a pest both on and off the ball and made things very difficult for Kansas to get into their sets. The Jayhawks ended up turning the ball over 10 times in the first half, and the Cyclones were able to capitalize on some of them for easy buckets. 

Another reason for the strong first half was the play of the bench for Iowa State. Jamarion Batemon provided an excellent spark for the team, scoring eight points. Furthermore, another key area that the team did well in was on the offensive glass. This was something that Iowa State shockingly struggled against TCU at, but they were back to normal with eight offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes. 

Cyclones Bounce Back 

The BEST Shooter in America. Hands Down.#Cyclones | #C5C | @MilanMomcilovi5 pic.twitter.com/0PwQIRYSLm

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 14, 2026

While the first half was a strong one for Iowa State, they were able to keep it up in the second half. The offense for the team really got rolling after a bit of a sluggish start, and the defense continued to perform well. 

The Cyclones were able to get their lead up to over 20 points at times in the second half, and they certainly responded following the bad loss. What might be most impressive is that the team was able to do a lot of this with their star player, Joshua Jefferson, on the bench to start the second half in foul trouble. 

Iowa State’s depth was on full display in this one, with a lot of different contributors on both ends. Overall, considering the opponent and the magnitude of the game for the Cyclones, this could have arguably been their best win of the season. 

Even though the win against Kansas is a big one for the program, they won’t be able to enjoy it for long with another massive matchup coming up against the Houston Cougars on Big Monday.