Iowa State basketball: Cyclones just miss AP top 10
By Brian Spaen
Iowa State basketball just missed the Associated Press top 10, and the group of 25 teams is filled with Big 12 squads with another jumping on this week.
The Cyclones are ranked 11th, dropping in just below Arizona at 10th. Kansas is now ninth and the highest-ranked team in the Big 12.
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There are a total of seven (!!!) Big 12 teams ranked in the top 25. West Virginia is at 16th, Oklahoma at 18th, Texas at 20th, Baylor at 22nd, and Oklahoma State at 24th.
Kentucky had quite the interesting week with overtime games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M. They were able to overcome near losses and remain at first in the AP. However, they didn’t clean sweep the top vote as two went to Virginia, who’s ranked second.
Gonzaga, Duke, Villanova, Louisville, Wisconsin, and Utah round out the top eight. Here’s the rest of the top 25 excluding Big 12 teams:
- 12. Notre Dame
- 13. Wichita State
- 14. Maryland
- 15. North Carolina
- 17. VCU
- 19. Arkansas
- 21. Seton Hall
- 23. UNI
- 25. Wyoming
It’s incredible to see seven Big 12 teams in the top 25. The only teams left out are Kansas State, TCU, and Texas Tech, and the Horned Frogs did still receive a couple votes. The Wildcats aren’t all bad either after defeating Oklahoma on Saturday, but their record will keep them well out of the top 25 or even getting votes unless they go on a run.
Basically, there’s a number of teams that can win the conference. The team that comes out of the pack as champions will certainly be battle tested for March Madness.
The ranking was higher than I thought Iowa State would get, but it is deserved after a big win at then 14th-ranked West Virginia. Without question, the Cyclones would break the top 10 and possibly the top five if they get wins over 22nd-ranked Baylor and ninth-ranked Kansas this week.