4. Iowa State (23-4)
The Cyclones are a really great team and that was certainly punctuated this week when the Selection Committee’s early preview had them as one of the four top seeds in March Madness. We’re still weeks away from those types of real discussions so nobody in Ames is going to get excited, but last weekend’s 18-point win over Kansas really showed what this team can be.
Fans of Iowa State got another major example of that on Monday in a 70-67 win over Houston, taking down the #2 team in the nation. A balanced offensive attack paced the Cyclones, featuring 12 points and 6 rebounds from Joshua Jefferson and 11 points from Nate Heise off the bench. Saturday turned into a tough day, with Iowa State falling 79-69 at BYU for a sour end to the weekend. Tamin Lipsey was great with 19 points but they just couldn’t contain a short-handed Cougars team.
Boasting wins over Houston, Kansas, and Purdue, this Iowa State team is building one of the nation’s more impressive resumes and that 10-4 mark in the Big 12 isn’t anything to snuff at either. Looking ahead, the Cyclones have an outside shot at winning the regular season title but you know that T. J. Otzelberger is focused on his team being their best when the games matter most in March. We’ll see them at Utah in a few days.