LUBBOCK, TEXAS – JANUARY 11: Head coach T.J. Otzelberger of the Iowa State Cyclones walks across the court at halftime of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on January 11, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
No losses, two new faces, and securing the nation’s longest active men’s basketball winning streak.
It wasn’t a bad week to be a Cyclone. Let’s muse.
Getting over the hump in Lubbock
Texas Tech poses a unique role on Iowa State’s men’s basketball schedule every year.
Winning in Lubbock has been the ultimate litmus test for many great Cyclone teams, and while no January road game will dictate a team’s season, this is one few have been able to top.
Ten years ago, Fred Hoiberg’s Iowa State team played at Texas Tech with the chance of taking sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings five games into the year – it was something unheard of to that point, in the midst of Kansas’ streak of regular season titles.
The Cyclones found themselves down 31-12 in the first half, ultimately losing the game 78-73.
Two seasons ago, in Iowa State’s last trip to Lubbock, the Cyclones held a 59-36 lead, but gave up a 20-3 run before ultimately losing in overtime.
Great teams can drop a game at Allen Fieldhouse or Houston – results like that are expected.
But winning on the road in the game where nothing seems to go as planned – like at Oklahoma last season – is a huge achievement for this team.
Remember that going forward – especially in the other giant road games this month in Morgantown and Tucson.
There’s a real case for Curtis Jones to win Big 12 player of the year

I’m not for awards season – and those who have followed me for a longer time know that. I’m all for honoring players that do extraordinary things, but often find some conference – or national – awards being discussed because of who isn’t on them.
Don’t get me started on how many deserving voices don’t have a Heisman vote or the curious voices of some that do.
But what Curtis Jones is doing this season is – we’ll use that word again – extraordinary.
The consistent guard is tied for second in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game after he tallied 26 in Iowa State’s win over Texas Tech.
He comes off the bench, and that’s never meant anything in basketball, but plays ‘starter’ minutes and shoots the hell out of the ball.
At one point on Saturday, he had seven straight points, strongly aiding the Cyclones’ efforts to complete the comeback.
Let the rest of this season play out – we’re only 1/5th of the way through Big 12 play – but Jones has put himself in the conversation.
The women stack back-to-back wins with a bigger week ahead
Bill Fennelly’s squad brought home a pair of much-needed victories while on its Arizona swing, and they did so by shooting well from distance.
In both wins over Arizona and Arizona State, the Cyclones finished with nine 3-pointers or more, with Sydney Harris hitting a game-high of five on Saturday.
This is a strong data point for the Cyclones, who didn’t have a hot start to the year from a shooting percentage standpoint despite the history of successful 3-point shooters the team had coming into the season.
The back-to-back wins give this team some positive momentum it hasn’t really seen yet this season and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Iowa State has another favorable game at home Tuesday against Texas Tech (6:30 p.m. ESPN+) before it travels to Morgantown for a big one with No. 17 West Virginia Sunday.
There’s still more to prove for this group, but this was a step in the right direction.
Business Trip ✅
Back Home Tuesday 🤩🌪️🏀🌪️ pic.twitter.com/YBwvXgmJ4U
— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) January 13, 2025
Football adds a pair in the transfer portal
Matt Campbell’s program added another pair of players out of the transfer portal this week in defensive lineman Tamatoa McDonough (Yale) and defensive end Vontroy Malone (Tulsa).
Both players are depth adds, but bring their own strengths with them to Ames.
McDonough tied for first in the Ivy League with 6.5 sacks during his last season at Yale and comes to Iowa State with one year of eligibility left.
Meanwhile, Malone comes to Ames from Tulsa, where he tallied 25 tackles, five TFL’s and 3.5 sacks. He’ll have two years of eligibility left as he’ll enter 2025 as a redshirt junior.
Time will tell what their careers end up like in Ames, but that’s another two pieces that could help out this season.
***
Before then, we’ve got a big week on the horizon, that will kick off with T.J. Otzelberger’s squad securing the best ranking in program history. Let’s rock.