Iowa State Cyclones Rightfully Rise in Recent Basketball Power Rankings

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

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play against Colorado during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 29, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have had a fantastic season so far, and despite a recent slip-up, the team is back on track. 

To begin the year, there were few teams in the country that were better than the Cyclones. The program got off to a historic 16-0 start to the campaign, which included an impressive 3-0 showing in Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, and also a road win against the number one-ranked Purdue Boilermakers at the time. 

While Iowa State was expected to be a solid team, they have blown by those expectations so far. With a star trio that has emerged, the Cyclones are capable of playing with anyone in the country, and they not only have some impressive star power but also have good depth. 

Despite the two straight losses, this is a team that firmly appears to be back on track and ready to be a contender for a spot in the Final Four. Now, they will be trying to continue to move their way up. 

Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently wrote about his power rankings for college basketball, and the Cyclones rightfully moved up a spot to eighth. 

Iowa State Trending Back Up

Iowa State Cyclones guard Anthony Rise | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While these rankings were released before their most recent win against the Buffaloes, the Cyclones are moving back up in the rankings but have a number of teams ahead of them that they are battling with for positioning. 

One of the top risers has been the Illinois Fighting Illini. Just like the Big 12 has a lot of talent, so does the Big 10. The Illini have been one of the hottest teams in the country, and they jumped up from 11th to sixth in the rankings this week. 

Furthermore, despite suffering their first loss of the season to the Michigan Wolverines, the Nebraska Cornhuskers remained at fifth following a valiant effort on the road. At the top, there were no changes with the Arizona Wildcats remaining undefeated and firmly ranked as the best team in the country. After Arizona, there was no movement in the first of the Top 5 with the UConn Huskies, Wolverines, and Duke Blue Devils all coming in right above the Cornhuskers. 

The Cyclones will have their chance to move up in the coming weeks, with the opportunity to stack up some easier wins in the conference before the schedule gets tough at the end of the campaign.