2. Iowa State (14-1)
The only blemish on Iowa State’s resume is a forgivable two-point loss in Maui against Auburn, who’s probably the best team in the nation. These Cyclones brought back a lot of talent from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team and have played even better this season, with fireworks on both offense and defense. After some great efforts in nonconference play, the Cyclones are now making themselves known in Big 12 play, though it’s not like we expected anything less.
On Tuesday, the Cyclones got an 82-59 home win over Utah to continue their long winning streak. Their harsh welcome to the Utes featured 23 points off the bench from Curtis Jones while Tamin Lipsey had 20 points and 7 rebounds. Saturday was a significant challenge, but Iowa State found a way to survive, outlasting Texas Tech 85-84 on the road in overtime. Jones again played at a high level with 26 points as this team did just enough to escape Lubbock with a thrilling win.
There’s a lot to like about this entire team plays basketball and they kept showing it week after week on the court. The offense and defense both rank near the tops in the nation in efficiency and the talent on this team is quite evident. We’re going to see this team play Kansas later in this week before a trip to West Virginia, though it’s definitely time to start considering the Cyclones the favorites in the Big 12, especially if they handle the Jayhawks on Wednesday.