Iowa State
Full disclosure: I am in the camp that believes that the Cyclones should be the number 1 team in the country. Yes, even with their near loss at Texas Tech on Saturday. The Cyclones should still be the number 1 team. Texas Tech did everything they could do to beat Iowa State, and they still couldn’t get the job done. Iowa State has a fantastic backcourt with Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert and a fantastic frontcourt with Joshua Jefferson. They are loaded with depth with Curtis Jones and Nate Heise, and they play Cyclone defense. This is the first year that head coach TJ Otzelberger has been able to play his brand of physical defense and have an explosive offense to back it up.
Iowa State is one of the least flawed teams in the country, as evidenced by their 6th-ranked offense and their 9th-ranked defense in KenPom. There is not one thing they do not do well. KenPom’s 4th ranked team is the best Cyclones team that coach Otzelberger has had in Ames and potentially one of the best Cyclones teams ever. The only loss on the card is the one-point loss at the buzzer to Auburn in Maui. Iowa State, like every other top team, has already been tested. They have beaten Marquette by 11, Iowa by 9, and Dayton by 5. The Cyclones are undefeated in the Big 12 and are going to be one of the best teams in the league all season.
Iowa State currently sits at number 2 in the rankings, but the debate isn’t going to stop as to whether they are number 1. Many would love to watch them play Auburn again. Just like Auburn, Iowa State is going to have to earn it over the next two weeks. They play Kansas at Hilton, West Virginia on the road, UCF at Hilton, and then travel to Arizona to face Arizona State and the Arizona Wildcats. Everyone is going to find out a lot about the Cyclones over the rest of January.