Iowa State Cyclones Continue to Rise in College Basketball Power Rankings

The Iowa State Cyclones continue to move up in the power rankings with an undefeated record.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches from bench against Iowa during the first half in the men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It has been a fantastic start to the season for the Iowa State Cyclones, who continue to prove they are one of the best teams in the country. 

The Cyclones have been able to pick up some nice signature wins so far this year, but there was none bigger than their win on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers. Coming into that matchup, the Boilermakers were the No. 1-ranked team in the country, but that didn’t stop Iowa State from coming into their home arena and blowing them out. 

This win was the statement that the program needed to prove that they are an early title contender. While there will be massive matchups coming up in the Big 12, the win against Purdue has really helped set the tone for how the team is viewed.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently wrote about the Cyclones making a move up in the college basketball power rankings from seventh to fourth. 

Iowa State Deserves the Rise

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The nice rise for the Cyclones was certainly deserved, but there is still a lot of competition around the nation. Coming in ranked first was the Michigan Wolverines, who proved by winning the Players Era Festival that they are a team to be reckoned with this year. 

Furthermore, in the second, it was the Arizona Wildcats, whom the Cyclones will likely be battling for a Big 12 crown with. After them was the Duke Blue Devils, who remain undefeated as well. 

For the Cyclones, being ranked this high early on is a good sign and could help them down the road. This is a program that would love to get a No.1 seed in March Madness and wins against teams like Purdue on the road help toward achieving that. 

Even though it is early in the season, those types of wins carry weight throughout and will help Iowa State toward their end goal of winning a National Championship. With the team moving up during the last week, a lot of credit has to go to Milan Momcilovic. The talented forward had a couple of really strong games, and he was a significant factor offensively against Purdue. 

Now, the Cyclones will be looking to finish up the calendar year strong before heading into conference play. They will undoubtedly be tested there some more with a lot of quality opponents, but Iowa State has an exceptional team this year and could stay as a Top 5 team.