Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger greets Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum after the game at James H. Hilton Coliseum. (Reese Strickland-Imagn Images)
Both games were closer than they had to be, but that is irrelevant in a rivalry series. Iowa State completed the basketball Cy-Hawk sweep after two amazing battles on the national stage.
The first half of the men’s game was a tough watch, but anyone that had their eye on the game saw the second half would be a different story. Down 33-25 at the half, Iowa State was shooting a measly 2-10 from three through 20 minutes, and senior Joshua Jefferson had 13 of 25 halftime points.
New football coach Jimmy Rogers brought the smack talk to Cy-Hawk in Hilton, dropping the sentence heard around central Iowa.
Some fans, especially from one fan base in particular, took offense to the line, but they need to get over it. If you took your kids to the Cy-Hawk game and the only expletive they heard was from Rogers’ speech, they must have spent most of their time at the concession stand.
Additionally, Rogers breathed life back into a fading arena with a few minutes left in the half down double-digits. It may be fair to say Rogers is already partially responsible for a Cyclone win before coaching a single game.
The life instantly came back to the Cyclones after the top-10 aura moment, going on a 14-0 run to take a lead they would not give up. The new-look Iowa team absolutely showed signs of life to stay in it, but even on an off night, these Cyclones showed just how powerful they are.
The story of the Hawkeyes all year has been future NBA lottery pick Bennett Stirtz. The Hawkeyes showed they are much more than just him Thursday.
Iowa State, especially freshman Killyan Toure, gave Stirtz the business, holding him to 10 points on 3-11 shooting. Other Hawkeyes certainly stepped up, but that made two games in a row shutting down a superstar. Purdue’s Braden Smith, a National Player of the Year candidate, scored 11 points and turned the ball over six times against Iowa State.
As for the women’s game, the Cyclones had early control, riding a 26-13 third quarter to a 61-48 lead after three quarters of play, but the Hawks fought back in the fourth. Everyone expected a run at some point, but it was too little, too late in the final frame, with Iowa State winning 74-69.
Somehow, there were still disbelievers heading in, but Audi Crooks silenced them for the millionth time, scoring 30 points and 10 rebounds on 13-of-20 shooting. Crooks also made some truly insane history.
It was not just Crooks, though, as Addy Brown and Jada Williams are also both on unreal runs. Brown finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, with Williams tacking on 11 points and 12 assists. The big three is so versatile, freeing up Crooks to do even more damage.
The men’s team was already battle-tested. This was the first ranked matchup of the year for the women, and they stood up to the challenge. Now, with the women at 12-0 and the men at 11-0, the two will more than likely head into conference play undefeated.
That makes four
If Rogers is allowed to throw in a little smack talk, so am I. Iowa State won the CyHawk in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling this year. It marked the first time the Cyclones have ever completed the clean sweep.
This just goes to show how good of a place Iowa State Athletics is in right now. The reason this shines through is because Iowa is also in a good place with a Hall of Fame football coach, one of the biggest rising stars in coaching for the men’s basketball team, a top-15 women’s basketball team and a top-5 wrestling team.
Beating all four of those teams in the same year cannot be taken for granted. Obviously, the football team will see a reset period with the loss of Matt Campbell, but the other three have established programs at this point.
Now, with the Cyclones in the top-5 for men’s basketball and wrestling while trending in that direction in women’s basketball, this has truly been one of the greatest all-around years for the Cyclones ever.
Bonus Point
I’m normally not much of the sappy type. Winning games is the only measurement I take into account usually.
With that being said, this rivalry is absolutely a good one for the schools, the teams and the sport. The amount of people that text me during these games that would otherwise never tune into an Iowa State game is astonishing. To play two nailbiters on the national stage is beneficial to both teams’ futures, win or lose.
