Sports
Iowa State basketball: Cyclones third in USA TODAY Sports Network Big 12 preseason poll
Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger on higher expectations
Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger discussed the higher expectations surrounding his basketball team for the 2024-25 season.
(This story has been updated to add the USA TODAY Sports Network’s panel of voters)
With six men’s basketball teams ranked in the USA TODAY Sports preseason coaches’ poll, the Big 12 Conference will be ultra-competitive once again.
According to a panel of writers who cover the Big 12 for the USA TODAY Sports Network, Iowa State was projected to finish in third place within the conference.
The Cyclones were also picked third in the conference according to the Big 12 Conference preseason men’s basketball coaches’ poll.
Last season, the Cyclones finished 29-8 overall and 13-5 in conference play. They won their first Big 12 tournament title since 2019 and went on to reach the Sweet 16. Iowa State’s 29 wins last season were the second-most in program history.
Here is the predicted order of finish for the coming season by the USA TODAY Sports Network’s panel of eight Big 12 writers:
- Kansas
- Houston
- Iowa State
- Baylor
- Arizona
- Cincinnati
- Texas Tech
- Kansas State
- BYU
- TCU
- UCF
- West Virginia
- Arizona State
- Colorado
- Oklahoma State
- Utah
The USA TODAY Sports Network’s panel of Big 12 men’s basketball voters includes Arne Green of the Topeka Capital-Journal, Travis Hines of the Des Moines Register, Jacob Unruh of The Oklahoman, Michelle Gardner of the Arizona Republic, Nathan Giese of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Scott Springer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jordan Guskey of the Topeka Capital-Journal and Christopher Boyle of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.