Iowa State men’s basketball: Cyclones break top 15 in USA Today Coaches Poll
By Brian Spaen
The USA Today Coaches Poll in men’s basketball lists Iowa State as the 14th best team in the nation on their preseason poll that was released on Thursday.
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Unlike fan eruption from the Big 12 coaches poll, the Cyclones are tagged as the third-best team in the conference on this list. Expectedly, Kansas was ranked as the highest Big 12 team at fifth place and Texas was at 10th. Oklahoma is at 18th and Kansas State, who was ranked ahead of Iowa State in the Big 12 coaches poll, is receiving votes.
This is what’s expected heading into the season. Most of the nation tags both the Jayhawks and Longhorns as the top dogs in the Big 12 with the Cyclones closely behind. That’s not saying Oklahoma or Kansas State aren’t in the mix. Easily these five teams can contend for a title — the Wildcats are considered many people’s sleeper pick in the Big 12 this year (which probably doesn’t qualify them to be a “sleeper,” does it?).
Kentucky comes in as the near-unanimous number one team, receiving 24 first-place votes. Arizona, Duke, and Wisconsin are next in that order receiving a couple first place votes. North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, and Louisville are between Kansas and Texas. Wichita State, Villanova, and Gonzaga are between the Longhorns and the Cyclones. After the Cyclones, it’s: UConn, VCU, San Diego State, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, SMU, Michigan, Syracuse, and Iowa.
Out of the power conference, the ACC and Big Ten lead the way with six teams in the rankings. However, the ACC is a better conference by this list because five of their teams are in the top 15. Wisconsin is much higher than the rest of the Big Ten and five of their teams sit ranked 18th or lower. The Big 12 has four (all four are above 19th), the SEC has two (both above 7th), and the Pac-12 has one (ranked second).