Iowa State Cyclones See Undefeated Season End in Blowout Loss to Kansas Jayhawks

The Iowa State Cyclones saw their undefeated season come to an end against the Kansas Jayhawks on the road.

Jan 13, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) drives against Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were riding high coming into their road matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks. However, they unfortunately saw their perfect season come to a close. 

With a 16-0 record coming into the matchup against the Jayhawks, the Cyclones were hopeful to snap what has been a lengthy losing streak on the road in Kansas. This season, the Jayhawks haven’t been nearly as good as in years past, with their star freshman Darryn Peterson missing a lot of time. However, that didn’t matter on Tuesday night, and the team put together a fantastic first half. 

The Cyclones looked a bit lost offensively to start this game, and the Jayhawks’ defense turned them over quite a bit. Furthermore, on the offensive side, they made it a point to attack Iowa State in the paint defensively. That opened up some easy looks from three-point range, and this one got out of hand quickly in the first half. 

After 20 minutes, the Jayhawks held a 44-23 lead, with nothing going right for the Cyclones on either half of the court. Despite a nice run to start the second half, the early deficit proved to be too much for Iowa State to overcome. 

Undefeated No More

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

While it was always a dream to stay undefeated throughout Big 12 play, the hope was certainly there for Iowa State. This was a team that has been both elite on offense and defense with multiple star players. Unfortunately, the dream of an undefeated campaign is over, and they will have to get back to the drawing board. 

A loss on the road against a team like Kansas isn’t a bad one with their historic success at home, but the Cyclones must learn from this one. Slow starts and turnovers have been an issue for the team at times, and that proved to contribute to their downfall on Tuesday night. 

It was also a tough night for the star players for Iowa State, with both Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey having rough outings on the offensive end. While a loss is never good for a program, the Cyclones will now have to bounce back and reflect on what went wrong in this one. 

Next up, Iowa State will be back on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats, but it figures to be a much easier game compared to the tough atmosphere they experienced against the Jayhawks.