Iowa State Cyclones' T.J. Otzelberger Highlights Why They Will be Ready for Kansas

Will the Iowa State Cyclones be ready for the Kansas Jayhawks on the road?

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play during the second half against Oklahoma State in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 10, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to wrap up a very successful week on the hardwood and with two more conference wins have improved to 16-0. Now, the team will be heading on the road for what could be a very challenging showdown. 

It has been the best start to a season in program history for the Cyclones and they have emerged as one of the best teams in the nation. Following a Michigan Wolverines loss, Iowa State has moved up to number two in the country in the most recent AP Poll. 

Along with the undefeated Arizona Wildcats, these two teams have emerged as the ones to beat in the Big 12. This is a conference that has a lot of competition and could arguably be the best one in the nation. This bodes well for a Cyclones team that is going to be battle tested come March and should be prepared for anything that is thrown their way. 

On Tuesday, they will be heading on the road for an extremely difficult matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks in one of the most challenging environments in the country. Even though the Jayhawks might not have been playing their best basketball just yet, this is still a dangerous team. 

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger recently spoke with William Seals of On3 about the earlier season matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers helping the Cyclones prepare for the upcoming game against Kansas. 

“The thing that you hear over and over when you talk about the most challenging places to play, Phog being one of them, Mackey Arena being one of them. So, if you draw that connection to both of them have tremendous teams, coaches, programs.”

Jayhawks Still Dangerous

Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Even though it hasn’t been the type of season that the team would have liked so far, this is a Kansas team that still has a lot of talent and should be seen as a threat at home. So far, the team has an 11-5 record with two losses in the Big 12 already. With two losses in three conference games, they will undoubtedly be hungry to put their best foot forward and get a win. 

While it might not have been a great year for the Jayhawks to this point, they do have one of the best freshmen in the nation with Darryn Peterson on the team. Peterson has dealt with some injuries and has missed time, but he has shown flashes that he can be elite. With this game being a critical one for Kansas and them having the opportunity to spoil the undefeated record for the Cyclones, they should be extremely focused. For Iowa State, their previous matchup against Purdue should have them well-prepared for the environment.