Iowa State Cyclones Shockingly Not Seen as National Title Contender

Should the Iowa State Cyclones be seen as a National Title contender?

Feb 14, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watchers his team play the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off one of their best wins of the season against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday. With the team performing well, should they be considered a National Title contender?

Through 25 games, the Cyclones have been playing some excellent basketball with a 22-3 record overall. This program has exceeded expectations this year, but there are plenty of reasons to believe it can be sustained. The Big 12 has proven to be challenging for Iowa State, with three losses, which have all been on the road. 

That is certainly something that they would like to improve going forward, but the conference is shaping up to be one of the best in the country. With the regular season already being a strong one, the team will have their eyes set on postseason play soon. 

With a fantastic record, they should be at worst a number two seed once March Madness rolls around, and that makes them a threat. However, they aren’t considered to be a contender in everyone's eyes. 

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote that the Cyclones shouldn’t be considered a National Title contender, despite all of their success. 

Iowa State Wrongly Not Seen as Contender

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It is a bit surprising to see the Cyclones not being considered a contender for a National Title, but they will continue to have opportunities to prove themselves. This is a team that holds wins over the Purdue Boilermakers on the road, and also the St. John’s Red Storm in the Players Era Festival. 

On Saturday, they were able to add another signature win against the Jayhawks in convincing fashion. While the schedule hasn’t been overly challenging thus far, the Cyclones have largely handled their business. 

While the win against Kansas was a big one, another major challenge looms on Big Monday against the Houston Cougars. This is a Cougars team that is playing really well this season, and it will be a significant test to try to get back-to-back signature wins. 

Even though Iowa State might be a perfect team, there is a lot to like about them. They have a talented trio with Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic, and Tamin Lipsey. Furthermore, the depth of the team has been a strength, with them being able to run a true eight-man rotation. While time will tell, the Cyclones do have the makings on paper of a team that should be considered a contender.