Eric Mulder of the Iowa State Cyclones reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second half at Bramlage Coliseum on February 1, 2026 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
After watching Coach Jerome Tang’s Kansas State Wildcats take the court, it has inspired me to take a look inside the huddle to see what has sparked Iowa State men’s and women’s basketball in their respective resurgences.
The men played a pair of games against opponents that could only be described as tough to watch. The Cyclones dismantled Colorado to the tune of a 30-4 lead to open the game, going on to win 97-67. To follow it up, Iowa State brought out the weed whacker and took care of the wheat fields in an utter embarrassment of a 95-61 win.
It is clear what took the 20-2 Cyclones from beating teams handly to absolutely tearing them apart and making them rethink their schemes. The Iowa State bench has taken the next step into being dependable players rather than a crew that you can hope to get by with.
Jamarion Batemon and Dom Pleta had 17 and 12 points in the win over Colorado. The two first year players took a few months to truly settle in. The last few weeks have allowed them to find their roles on a college basketball floor. Nearly every college player was the best player on their high school squad, so it is not so easy to just slot yourself into a completely new role after decades of life playing another way.
Experienced veteran Nate Heise was the double-digit scorer off the bench against Kansas State. He had 11 points, five assists and five rebounds. It is no surprise to see Heise doing his thing at this point, but he will have to string together solid games for Iowa State to make a run.
After a pair of wins a week ago, some were not convinced that the women’s team was back on track. At this point they have proved that they are, making it four wins in a row by beating No. 21 Texas Tech 84-70 and Central Florida 65-52.
So, what changed? Well, the re-addition of Arianna Jackson, for one, has been a major difference. Jackson has scored 11, 15, 5 and 18 in the four wins since her return. Defensively, Jackson has always been a factor, being tasked with guarding top players night in and night out; however, either her offensive mentality or role has changed significantly.
Jackson had not eclipsed double-digits from Nov. 24 until her injury Jan. 7. Since returning, she has done it in three of four games. While her defense is still impactful, it is necessary for her to keep up the scoring pace, at least until Addy Brown returns. Speaking of, Brown’s return is seemingly getting further away by the day.
In need of further scorers outside of Crooks, Jada Williams has also taken more control of the offense than she had in previous weeks. Williams has scored 44, 19, 15 and 23 in the four wins. Williams has by no means not been a scorer this year, averaging 14 points per game, but she has done a lot of passing along the way with seven and a half assists a night. Without Brown, Williams needed to take more shots to free up Crooks and the shooters, and she did just that, taking 22, 11, 19 and 21 shots over the last four games.
If this team is going to keep moving forward, it is going to take Williams remaining a constant scoring threat.
Tarps off
If you were skeptical of the culture Iowa State football is gearing toward amid the coaching change, the Cyclones gave absolute proof of how the team is going to play in 2026. At an Iowa Wild hockey game over the weekend, the Cyclones packed the crowd, took their tarps off and absolutely let loose.
I grew up on a farm. I know what a performative shirtless photo-op looks like. This was the furthest thing from that. It was blatantly not the first time most of those boys have yanked their shirts off in public.
Between that moment and Head Coach Jimmy Rogers dropping an expletive at the Cy-Hawk basketball game, this team is tough, this team is rowdy and, most importantly, this team does not care what me, you or the world thinks of them.
