Iowa State Cyclones Remain Stagnant in College Basketball Power Rankings

Where did the Iowa State Cyclones place in a recent college basketball power rankings?

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play from the bench against Alcorn State Braves during the first half on Dec. 3, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It has been a great start to the season for the Iowa State Cyclones, and the team is hungry to keep their undefeated streak alive. 

Coming into the year, the Cyclones figured to be a strong team that could pose a threat in the Big 12. However, most had them ranked outside of the Top 3 in the conference to begin the year. So far, Iowa State has been able to exceed those expectations with an 11-0 start to the year, including some significant victories. 

While conference play has yet to get going, there will be a number of tests still ahead for Iowa State. However, they have been able to beat every opponent put in front of them so far, and that is an encouraging sign. 

This week might not have been the best for the program, with some closer-than-expected games against the Iowa Hawkeyes and Eastern Illinois Panthers. However, while they weren’t at their best, they still were able to come away with wins at the end of the day. 

Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently wrote about his NCAA Power Rankings and had the Cyclones remain at number four, following a two-win week. 

Iowa State Stays Put

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

Even though the team was able to win a couple of games last week, staying put at the number four spot in the power rankings was the right call. However, there was a shakeup at the top with the Arizona Wildcats jumping the Michigan Wolverines for the top spot. 

The Cyclones and the Wildcats will meet in 2026, and that is going to be a game to have circled on the calendar. Both of these Big 12 teams are undefeated and appear to be two of the best in the country. For Arizona, they have arguably played a more demanding schedule than Iowa State so far, and they have some marquee wins on their resume. 

However, the Cyclones do have a road win against the then-number one team in the country, the Purdue Boilermakers. That has to be one of the best wins that any team has had this year, especially in the blowout fashion in which it was accomplished. 

For Iowa State this week, it is a light schedule with what should be a relatively easy game on Sunday against Long Beach State. Barring a massive upset in their final two games, the Cyclones should head into 2026 undefeated.