3. Iowa State (17-2)
While the Cyclones hit a bit of a roadblock at West Virginia last weekend, there’s no question that this is still an elite team. Iowa State’s only previous loss was a close one against Auburn and they’ve had some awesome performances more recently, including double-digit wins over Kansas and Marquette. However, we got to see again how the Cyclones would bounce back after that disappointment.
The offense really bounced back on Tuesday night, with Iowa State grabbing a 108-83 win at home over UCF. Joshua Jefferson emerged with 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals while Keshon Gilbert added 21 points and 8 assists on an explosive night of basketball. Saturday was a different matter, as the Cyclones battled back from a halftime deficit for a 76-61 win at Arizona State. A strong second half saw a starring effort from Curtis Jones with 33 points and 7 rebounds.
This team sits in a great position, especially with their 7-1 record in Big 12 play. We’ve seen them play efficient basketball and really come together as a team and there’s no mistaking that this team can cause damage when March Madness rolls around. The next couple of Mondays will have some tough tests for the Cyclones, starting with a tricky game at Arizona this week, though we’ve already seen them win a few big games away from home.