A Final Four Run Will Change Everything for Iowa State Basketball

Can the Iowa State Cyclones reach the Final Four and change the course of their program?

Iowa State fans cheer during the Cyclones' game against Houston at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 16, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are many schools considered to be some of the top programs in college basketball. The Duke Blue Devils, the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Kansas Jayhawks, and many more. But there is one team that has incredible history, recency, and overall dominance on the sport, being a competitive team every season. However, they are not considered one of the top programs for a reason, and that’s having just one Final Four, all the way back in 1944.

That program is the Iowa State Cyclones. They have been to 12 tournaments in the last 15 years, won 20+ games in 11 of the past 15. One of the most successful programs of late in college basketball, yet not enough jewelry to show for it.

That may all change in the next few weeks, as Iowa State enters their sixth straight March Madness. This year, the Cyclones are a two seed, and a popular pick to reach their first Final Four in 81 years.

Iowa State would be heavily benefit from having their biggest and best run in their program’s history. Being from a small town in the suburbs of Des Moines, Iowa State is located in Ames, a city with a population of just 68,000 people. But the passion is real. Cyclones fans are some of the best in the nation in all sports, providing an almost unfair home court advantage that sees Iowa State rarely lose. Hilton Coliseum, home to more than 14,000 loyal fans, is one of the toughest places to play in America.

What Would a Final Four Run Mean?

Iowa State Cyclones | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

If Iowa State was able to reach the Final Four this year, everything could change. Ames would be much better known than a random city in the middle of America, but a basketball wonderland, where some of the nation’s best players are produced and dominate the country. Cyclones fans already sell out their massive gym in each and every home game, but the urge to watch Iowa State will increase even more than before. They would see people travel from all over, including tons of national media ready just to watch Iowa State play.

To some teams, they are only looking for a national championship, a ring on their finger, but Iowa State has other goals as well. Making their first Final Four in 81 years would be one of the biggest steps in the right direction that a school has seen in years.