Iowa State Basketball Star Receives Shockingly High Ranking Heading into Tournament

A star from the Iowa State Cyclones was recently ranked very highly coming into NCAA tournament.

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

The Iowa State Cyclones will be kicking off March Madness on Friday against the Tennessee State Tigers, and expectations will be high for the program. 

Following a great showing in the Big 12 tournament, the Cyclones have built a lot of momentum heading into the NCAA tournament, and this version of Iowa State looks like the team that was ranked number two in the country early in the season. 

They will be playing in the Midwest region with the Michigan Wolverines as the number one seed in the region and the Virginia Cavaliers ranked third. This will present the Cyclones with a chance to make the Final Four from their region, especially considering that the Wolverines haven’t performed as well without L.J. Cason. 

If Iowa State is going to be successful, it is likely to be because of the performance of their star trio that has carried them for most of the season. Few teams in the country have the high-end talent that the Cyclones do, and it could be a major factor over the next couple of weeks. While Joshua Jefferson is the best player on the team, he’s got a lot of help as well. 

Myron Medcalf of ESPN recently wrote about the Top 50 players in college basketball for March Madness, and star Milan Momcilovic surprisingly came in ranked in the Top 20 at 19th. 

Great Ranking for Momcilovic

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Seeing the star shooter of the Cyclones being ranked in the Top 20 is a massive honor and a bit of a surprise. While he is the best shooter in the country, he is ahead of a lot of great players around the nation. 

However, while the ranking might be surprising, the case can be made that it is deserved. This season, Momcilovic averaged 17.1 points, and a lot of his damage came from behind the arc. 

The junior was able to average 3.7 makes per game on 7.5 attempts. The 49.6% from beyond the arc is extremely impressive, and he can be a difference maker. With the ability to have performances as he did against the Arizona Wildcats, where he hit eight three-pointers. With the ability to get hot and have performances like that, it is likely a reason for the high ranking. 

If Momcilovic has a good NCAA tournament, the Cyclones are going to be in excellent shape to make a long run in March.