Iowa State Cyclones Soar Up Men's College Basketball Power Rankings

It has been an incredible season for the Iowa State Cyclones, and this campaign could be a very special one.

Following a 16-0 start to the year, the Cyclones were clearly a team that was going to exceed expectations. They started the year off going 3-0 in the Players Era Festival and then followed that up with a statement win against the Purdue Boilermakers on the road.

To start conference play, they slipped up a little bit in some road games, which has been the one blemish on the resume. However, the last couple of games have completely changed the outlook for the team, and now Iowa State is starting to receive some excellent recognition.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently updated his men’s college basketball power rankings, and the Cyclones soared up seven spots to fourth.

Statement Week for Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise hustling for the ball — Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With arguably their best two wins of the season coming in back-to-back games against the Kansas Jayhawks and the Houston Cougars. These were both impressive signature wins for the program, and their rise in the power rankings is justified.

Coming into the game against the Jayhawks at home, there was a bit of a knock on the Cyclones about who they have played so far. With the Purdue win coming a while ago, it seemed that they had forgotten that they were the number one team in the country at the time.

Now, with Iowa State getting revenge on Kansas and then beating Houston in a thriller, the team has proved that it is one of the best teams in the country without a doubt. With five games left in the regular season, there are going to potentially be a couple more Top 25 games on the schedule for the team.

While injuries to key players on the BYU Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders could impact those teams, the Big 12 is still a really strong conference. Just before the end of the regular season will be the showdown against the Arizona Wildcats that everyone will have their eyes on.

The Wildcats had a tough stretch, losing two straight games, but they are still one of the best teams in the country. That game very well could be for a spot on the one-line in March Madness, with each team having an impressive resume.

Overall, the seven-spot rise is certainly warranted following their statement wins and a couple of the teams that were ahead of them suffering losses. Now, the goal for the Cyclones should be to try to finish the season strong and land a spot as a one seed.