A busy Tuesday slate of college basketball has one phenomenal late matchup with Iowa State heading to Kansas for an important Big 12 showdown. The Cyclones are off to a perfect start this season and have looked impressive while the faithful in Kansas might be scratching their heads yet again at what they've seen this season.
As mentioned, Iowa State (16-0) can’t really be playing much better than they are right now with this perfect start to the season. They’ve won their first two road games by double figures against Purdue and Baylor, two places that aren’t easy to play. Iowa State looked the part of a top contender with their success at the Players Era Festival and have one of the best lineups not just in the Big 12 but in the entire nation.
There’s no shortage of talent for Kansas (11-5), but the Jayhawks haven’t really put it all together. They themselves did fantastic work at the Players Era Festival over a month ago but lost most of their other big challenges earlier in the season. They played a lot of games without star freshman Darryn Peterson but even with him back have now lost back-to-back weekend tilts at UCF and West Virginia.
Iowa State vs. Kansas: When and Where
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 9:00 pm ET
Location: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
Iowa State vs. Kansas: Where to Watch or Stream
Watch: ESPN
Streaming: FuboTV
Iowa State vs. Kansas: Betting Odds
Spread: Iowa State Cyclones -4.5, Kansas Jayhawks +4.5
Moneyline: Iowa State Cyclones -165, Kansas Jayhawks +158
Total: 145.5
Iowa State vs. Kansas: Series History
All-time series: Kansas leads 191-69
Last meeting: Kansas 69, Iowa State 52 (February 3, 2025)
Projected Starting Lineups
Iowa State Cyclones
Joshua Jefferson (17.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.2 apg)
Milan Momcilovic (17.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
Tamin Lipsey (14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.5 apg)
Killyan Toure (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
Blake Buchanan (9.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
Kansas Jayhawks
Tre White (15.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
Flory Bidunga (13.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg)
Melvin Council Jr. (13.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.0 apg)
Darryn Peterson (22.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Bryson Tiller (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Kansas clearly has an advantage playing this game on their home court but let’s not act like that alone will decide this matchup. After all, the Jayhawks are a very talented team that still needed overtime and a comeback to escape TCU just a week earlier. Iowa State doesn’t just have a talented starting five but this is a team that does the little things and looks great while doing it. Kansas’s defense has struggled in Big 12 play but will be really tested if they want to avoid a 1-3 hole this early in the conference. The Cyclones have their own pressure to continue their unbeaten start and it’ll be interesting to see how they come out on the road.
Can the Jayhawks find a way to get this season back on track by upending a Top 5 foe to get into the Big 12 race? Does this Cyclones team have another road shocker in them? We could learn a lot about both teams with how this matchup unfolds Tuesday night.