Iowa State Will Be Keeping Close Eye on Men's Basketball Weekend Matchups

There are a lot of major matchups occurring in men's college basketball this weekend that the Iowa State Cyclones will be keeping a close eye on.

Feb 1, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger look on during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum. | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have firmly entrenched themselves as one of the best teams in men’s college basketball with their performance this season.

With a 23-3 record, they are currently ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll Top 25. That will assuredly change since they defeated the No. 2 Houston Cougars earlier this week and the No. 4 UConn Huskies were defeated by the Creighton Bluejays.

Iowa State can improve its own standing heading on the road to Provo, Utah, to face the BYU Cougars. A victory in that matchup will strengthen the Cyclones’ case to be a No. 1 seed in Bracketology projections, which they currently aren’t.

In a surprising turn of events, James Fletcher III of On3 has Iowa State on the two-line still. They are the No. 6-ranked team in the field, behind the Michigan Wolverines, Duke Blue Devils, Arizona Wildcats and Houston, who are all the No. 1 seeds.

Iowa State knocking on door of No. 1 seed

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) drives for a loose ball over Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 16, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ahead of them on the 2-seed line is the Illinois Fighting Illini, who are the No. 5-ranked team in the field. Certainly a disappointing development for Cyclones fans, but things are going to be shaken up again this weekend.

Before Iowa State tips off against BYU in a late 10:30 pm ET/9:30 pm CT start, they will know the results of the heavyweight matchups going off that afternoon. Michigan and Duke are facing off in a major non-conference game, while the Wildcats and Cougars will face off in a Big 12 clash.

The Cyclones will be paying close attention to those games for several reasons. Of course, there has to be a loser in each game. A loss by any of those teams, coupled with another road victory for Iowa State, could be enough to propel them to a predicted No. 1 seed.

While many people will be tuning in for the Wolverines against the Blue Devils, a little extra attention will be paid by Cyclones faithful to Arizona and Houston. Whoever loses that game will be tied with Iowa State and the Kansas Jayhawks with three Big 12 losses.

The Cyclones already have a victory over Kelvin Sampson’s squad this season. With a matchup with Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats still on the horizon, it would be in Iowa State’s best interest for Arizona to come out victorious this weekend.

Massive movement across bracketology, from the top seeds to the bubble.

Check out the full field here:https://t.co/hT9bDHeGxM pic.twitter.com/UGaXxeiPTO

— James Fletcher III (@jdfletch3) February 19, 2026

They cannot catch the Cougars without some help; the Wildcats could provide that, moving Houston into a tie with the Cyclones, which T.J. Otzelberger’s crew owns the tiebreaker for with a head-to-head victory.

Iowa State would then have the opportunity to go into Tucson on March 2 with the Big 12 regular-season title potentially on the line.

Of course, for that to occur, there is more work for the Cyclones to do first. They need to handle business against BYU before facing the Utah Utes and Texas Tech Red Raiders ahead of the Big Monday matchup with Arizona.

A lot can change between now and Selection Sunday, but Iowa State mostly controls its own destiny. If they can defeat the Cougars in their next game, there is a strong chance they are ranked inside the top four of the AP Poll and projected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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