Iowa State men’s basketball: Cyclones remain 17th in AP poll for third straight week

Dec 2, 2013; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Sherron Dorsey-Walker (4) holds on to the rim after a dunk against the Auburn Tigers at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones beat the Tigers 99-70. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

For the third consecutive week, the Iowa State men’s basketball team stayed at 17th in the Associated Press’ Top 25 poll while they moved up to a tie at 16th with Gonzaga in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

The Cyclones received 606 votes in the AP poll, cementing them at 17th behind Memphis and ahead of North Carolina. In comparison to being tied with the Bulldogs in the Coaches Poll, they’re 20th in the AP poll.

The rankings in both polls are pretty fair. Iowa State didn’t really deserve to be rewarded nor shunned in their overtime victory over Northern Iowa last Saturday. The win against Auburn seems like so long ago after the team got tested in Des Moines, and the Tigers were picked to finish last in the SEC in many preseason polls.

It will be a top 25 matchup on Friday night when the Iowa Hawkeyes, ranked 23rd in the AP poll and 22nd in the Coaches Poll, come into Hilton Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 8:30 PM Central time and it will be televised on ESPNU.

Elsewhere in the Big 12, Oklahoma State now sits at seventh in the AP poll, Kansas is at 13th after their loss to Colorado (who debuts at 21st), and Baylor is at 14th. Over in the coaches, the Cowboys are ninth, the Jayhawks are 13th, and the Bears are behind the Cyclones at 18th.