Feb 14, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger reacts while watching his team play the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
The year is 2020, and as I sit playing the College Basketball 2k8 video game with my then roommate and now legendary Iowa Everywhere producer Aiden Wyatt in our freshman dorm, we developed a philosophy that changed college basketball forever. As we took a stab at bringing a National Title to the prestigious University of South Carolina Upstate, we faced a constant stream of losses in our initial season.
That is when we laid down the law. We sat down and had a heart to heart, deciding that nothing matters until the conference tournament. We drew up new plays, we revamped our rotations and we breathed life back into the team.
Little did we know, we were a part of a conference that did not invite all of its teams to the conference tournament anyways, so we missed the cut, but moving forward we were an uncaged and untamed animal.
Regardless, nothing matters until the conference tournament is a mindset that has lived on and held true. Nobody cares if you are the No. 1 team in the nation or have zero wins the entire season, if you win the conference tournament you will be an NCAA Tournament team.
For teams that are an NCAA Tournament lock, like the Cyclone men, the Big 12 Tournament is still crucial. If they fall flat in the first or second game, the Cyclones will carry virtually zero momentum into the NCAA Tournament. Going on a run and winning the whole thing on the other hand, that could lift Iowa State to a special postseason.
The women’s team was in even deeper need of a run, falling 77-68 against an Arizona State team the Cyclones should beat nine times out of 10 in the team’s first postseason game. Iowa State beat the Sun Devils 90-64 in Hilton; however the opening minutes in Kansas City were ugly as the Cyclones fell behind 17-2.
Iowa State is now on the bubble and if they do make the tournament, the draw will be far from favorable. The Cyclones enter the big dance with no momentum on their side. Key injuries plagued Iowa State during the middle portion of the season as the expectations quickly faded. When the roster was back and ready to play, that chemistry that was there in the perfect non-conference run was damaged.
The student-athletes themselves will tell you there are no excuses to be made, and if Iowa State does land a bid, there is a lot to prove.
On the wrestling mats in Tulsa, Oklahoma, some lineup changes and unfortunate injuries kept a solid weekend from a championship weekend. Yonger Bastida and Rocky Elam won individual titles and there were some great matches throughout, but it was not enough to take down Oklahoma State in the team title race. Despite qualifying nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, Iowa State wrestlers were not satisfied, and that is the energy the men’s basketball team needs to bring at the Big 12 Tournament.
As the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, Iowa State will take on the winner of No. 12 Arizona State and No. 13 Baylor on Wednesday. While the Cyclones missed out on a bye, it may have been a good thing. Iowa State has been playing average compared to its standard in recent weeks, and getting some lighter competition before stepping into the ring with Tyson and Ali may prove beneficial.
The glass court in Kansas City has seen some scrutiny, including from Addy Brown. Iowa State will have the chance to get comfortable on the playing surface before any of the other conference contenders.
Iowa State narrowly beat Baylor 72-69 at home and 70-60 on the road this season, slamming Arizona State in the regular season finale 86-65. Both opponents are far from freebies. There is a reason most people wanted the bye, and that’s because playing this game gives the Cyclones another chance to lose and requires four games in four exhausting days to come away on top of the Big 12.
There is no such thing as a favorable placement into this bloodbath of a bracket, but between a warmup game and a quarterfinal date with JT Toppin-less Texas Tech, this may be as favorable as it gets.
