Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2023-24 season

5. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State is a program on the rise. Just three years ago, the Cyclones were possibly the worst major conference team, as they suffered through a 2-22 campaign. The arrival of head coach T.J. Otzelberger has changed all of that, though. In the two years since he took over, Iowa State has racked up 41 wins and made the tournament twice (with one Sweet Sixteen appearance).

That success is now translating to the recruiting trail, as Ames will welcome the school’s first-ever top-ten recruiting class. The prize jewel of that class is five-star prospect Omaha Biliew, one of the top incoming power forwards in the country. In addition, forwards Milan Momcilovic and Kayden Fish, plus shooting guard Jelani Hamilton will make their debut.

Nearly all of the Cyclones’ top players from this past season are graduating, including All-Big 12 Second Team Gabe Kalscheur and former St. Bonaventure transfers Jaren Holmes and Osun Osunniyi. The team already lost Caleb Grill to the transfer portal, but Otzelberger can count on rising sophomore Tamin Lipsey and his elite assist rate to steer the ship going forward.

The freshman class will get most of the hype, but Otzelberger has already proven his mettle in the transfer portal, and he’ll certainly supplement the team with experience to pair with the incoming freshman talent. The past two years have shown what Iowa State can do, but I expect them to be even better going forward.