Injuries in Big 12 Conference Will Have Significant Impact for Iowa State Cyclones

Which key players from the Big 12 conference got hurt of late?

Mar 11, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Big 12 logo center court prior to the game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have been playing some great basketball this year, and the end of the season is quickly approaching. With just five games left before the Big 12 tournament, the schedule down the stretch has become a bit easier due to some major injuries.  

With a 23-3 record through 26 games, the Cyclones have been one of the best teams in the country this year. While the program was expected to be a contender, they are trending now toward being able to accomplish some great things with the NCAA Tournament right around the corner.

As the team heads down the stretch of the regular season, there will be just five games left in the regular season, and on paper, the opponents are going to be challenging. Despite back-to-back marquee games against the Kansas Jayhawks and the Houston Cougars, there are some more Top 25 matchups looming for the Cyclones in the coming weeks. 

However, despite big games coming up against the BYU Cougars, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the Arizona Wildcats, injuries have become an issue for each of these teams. 

Big 12 Injuries Piling Up

Texas Tech Red Raiders forward JT Toppin | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

With the regular season coming to a close in conference play, some of the top teams in the Big 12 have been hit hard by injuries of late. Starting with the Cougars, who Iowa State will be playing on Saturday night, they just recently lost their talented shooter, Richie Saunders, for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. 

Furthermore, the Red Raiders saw their star JT Toppin go down with the same injury, which could be a massive blow to that program. For the Wildcats, their talented freshman Koa Peat has been sidelined with a muscle strain in his leg. 

All of these injuries are significant for their respective teams, and they have weakened what has been the best conference in college basketball this year. Without two star players, it’s hard to imagine that BYU or Texas Tech will be able to be a contender going forward. 

With these three teams being on the calendar for the Cyclones, it has increased their chances of being able to come away with some more big wins and perhaps grab a regular-season Big 12 title. 

Overall, the long season is starting to take an effect on some of the teams in the conference, and Iowa State must prioritize trying to stay healthy heading into March Madness.