Iowa State Cyclones Fairly Drop From Top 5 of AP Poll This Week

How far did the Iowa State Cyclones drop in the most recent AP Poll?

Feb 10, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger looks on from the bench against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones had a bit of an uneven week, with the team both winning a game and losing one as well. However, despite the loss, they didn’t fall terribly in the most recent AP Poll. 

To start last week, the Cyclones were on the road to take on the TCU Horned Frogs. In what turned out to be a challenging road matchup, Iowa State had their worst offensive performance of the season. That resulted in their third loss and raised a bit of concern with a marquee matchup coming up over the weekend against the Kansas Jayhawks. 

Fortunately, despite the Jayhawks coming off a massive win against the undefeated Arizona Wildcats at the time, the Cyclones were able to control this game after a bit of a sluggish start and get the massive win. 

The win against Kansas was a massive one for Iowa State, as another two-game losing streak would have been a major blow to their resume. Furthermore, with a looming matchup against the Houston Cougars, things could have gotten out of hand. However, due to the loss to the Horned Frogs, the Cyclones were likely to fall in the AP 25, and that ended up being the case. 

Cyclones Slightly Drop

Checking in at #⃣6⃣#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/XIKfhBS4nl

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 16, 2026

The move from fifth to sixth isn’t a drastic drop, with the double-digit win against the number nine-ranked Jayhawks being a saving grace. As Iowa State slipped out of the Top 5, it was the UConn Huskies moving back in. Furthermore, the Big 12 saw a massive shakeup with the Wildcats’ undefeated season coming to an end. 

Even though it was against two very good opponents, the Wildcats lost two games and dropped from the number one spot for the first time in a long time to fourth. Furthermore, in the Big 12, the Cougars were able to move to second following their strong week, and the Cyclones will be getting a chance to try to knock them down on Monday night. 

Due to the drop from the Wildcats, it was the Michigan Wolverines who were able to take over the top spot. With a 24-1 record, they have been fantastic in the Big 10 play, and they will be facing the number three-ranked Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. 

Overall, a slight drop for Iowa State was fair and to be expected. Starting with their game against the Cougars, they will have a chance to get right back into the Top 5 and could make some serious moves upward with big matchups across the country.