NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Indiana, and Ole Miss rise in updated 2024-25 WTE power rankings

3. Iowa State Cyclones

It’s been a fairly quiet offseason as of late for Iowa State, mainly because they have already done their work. They benefitted from not losing much to the portal, seeing Jackson Paveletzke and Omaha Biliew depart. They also knew that senior forwards Tre King, Robert Jones, and Hason Ward ran out of eligibility so they needed to rebuild the frontcourt.

And that they did. Freshman forward Milan Momcilovic is back, joined by Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson, a double-digit scoring starter. At the center position is Charlotte transfer Dishon Jackson and Brandton Chatfield, a 6’10 big man from Seattle.

The backcourt is largely intact, with three double-digit scorers returning. Point guard Tamin Lipsey will be on the shortlist for Big 12 Player of the Year next season, while Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert are two other featured pieces. Adding to the depth is Nate Heise, a double-digit scorer from Northern Iowa.

With the top four scorers back from a 29-win team, it’s hard not to be excited about what the Cyclones can do next season. There’s plenty of depth and the defense should remain top-tier. Now, they just need one player to emerge as a star offensive threat and they can be a Final Four team.