Tag: iowa state cyclones basketball

Updated Big 12 Men’s Basketball Standings

Updated Big 12 standings.

The Big 12 has been a gauntlet this season. Even the highest-ranked teams in the conference have had their struggles, especially when going on the road.

Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Baylor, the league’s four highest-ranked teams, have are a combined 12-8 this season. Houston is one of four teams in the conference without a road win.

It’s tough to win games in the best basketball conference in the country, especially on the road, where teams are a combined 10-25 this season.

Seven teams are currently within one game of first place in the conference and 13 of the 14 teams are within two games of first place in the Big 12. It’s going to be a wild six weeks in conference play and the Big 12 tournament is going to be must-see television.

Here’s a look at the latest Big 12 standings.

Oklahoma Sooners tumble in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

After losses to TCU and Kansas, the Oklahoma Sooners took a tumble in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

It was a tough week for the Oklahoma Sooners on the hardwood, dropping road games to the TCU Horned Frogs and Kansas Jayhawks.

They lost each game by an average of 10.5 points and weren’t all that competitive down the stretch.

Still, the Sooners have a good team. They just have to figure out some of their second-half road issues. But after their 0-2 week, the Sooners dropped seven spots to No. 16 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

At 13-3, each of the teams the Sooners have lost to are currently ranked inside the top 25. North Carolina, who beat Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, moved up four spots to No. 3 in the nation behind UConn at No. 1 and Purdue at No. 2. Kansas dropped one spot to No. 4 despite their win over Oklahoma after losing to UCF in Orlando earlier in the week.

TCU, who beat the Sooners on Wednesday and played Kansas to a two-point loss the Saturday before, moved into the top 25 to No. 22 in the nation in this week’s poll.

Houston, who entered last week as the last remaining unbeaten team, dropped three spots in the poll after losses to TCU and Iowa State this week. Baylor rose five spots to No. 9 in the nation.

The Sooners are one of eight Big 12 teams ranked in this week’s edition of the Coaches Poll. BYU is at No. 19, Iowa State entered the poll at No. 20, as did Texas Tech at No. 25.

The Oklahoma Sooners next take the floor Wednesday in Norman against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 UConn 15-2 785 +3
2 Purdue 15-2 762 -1
3 North Carolina 13-3 717 +4
4 Kansas 14-2 713 -1
5 Houston 14-2 619 -3
6 Duke 13-3 590 +5
7 Tennessee 12-4 574 -2
8 Wisconsin 13-3 533 +7
9 Baylor 14-2 523 +5
10 Kentucky 12-3 514 -4
11 Auburn 14-2 509 +5
12 Memphis 15-2 489 +1
13 Arizona 12-4 424 -5
14 Illinois 12-4 319 -4
15 Creighton 13-4 261 +5
16 Oklahoma 13-3 239 -7
17 Utah State 16-1 238 +6
18 Marquette 11-5 214 -6
19 BYU 13-3 174 -2
20 Iowa State 13-3 152 +9
21 Ole Miss 15-1 151 +2
22 TCU 13-3 150 +12
23 Dayton 13-2 130 +6
24 San Diego State 14-3 102 -5
25 Texas Tech 14-2 92 +11

Schools Dropped Out

Colorado State (18th), Gonzaga (21st), Clemson (22nd), FAU (25th)

Others Receiving Votes

Colorado State (81), FAU (67), Alabama (60), Seton Hall (40), Clemson (39), Grand Canyon (34), Texas (20), Nevada (14), Gonzaga (11), Oregon (10), N.C. State (9), Villanova (9), James Madison (8), Princeton (7), St. John’s (6), Florida State (4), Wake Forest (2), Nebraska (2), Florida (2), New Mexico (1), Indiana State (1)

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How to watch, key players for No. 11 Oklahoma Men’s Basketball vs. Iowa State Cyclones

The Sooners kick off conference play with a showdown against the Cyclones. Here is how you can watch the game as well as some key players to watch.

The Oklahoma Sooners are set to kick off their final go-around in the Big 12 conference after a dominant nonconference start. The Sooners start the conference slate with a very good 11-2 Iowa State Cyclones team in Norman.

The Cyclones are winners of six straight, winning all six by an average of 30 points per game after losing two straight games. They also have a common opponent with the Sooners, the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Cyclones won that game by 25 and the Sooners won that game by 12.

The Sooners have been one of the more well-balanced teams this year with four guys averaging 9.5 points per game or more. But the Cyclones are right there with them. They have six guys who average that many points or more. So, the Sooners are going to have to be ready for their balanced attack on Saturday.

Without further adieu let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players for both teams.

Iowa State guard enters transfer portal

Lexi Donarski elected to enter the transfer portal Friday after three seasons with ISU. The La Crosse native will now look for a new team.

Lexi Donarski elected to enter the transfer portal Friday after three seasons with Iowa State. The La Crosse, Wisconsin native will now look for a new team.

The 6-foot guard started all 95 games she played in with the Cyclones, averaging 13.2 points per game, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 35 minutes per contest. With Julie Pospisilova (14.1 PPG) leaving the program following the 2022-2023 season, Donarski could be a solid option to replace her production next season if the Badgers can land her out of the portal.

As a five-star recruit from the class 2020, Donarski was the Wisconsin Player of the Year and a member of the McDonald’s All-American team in high school. The Badgers never really got a shot at her the first time around after she committed to ISU in eighth grade, but it seems likely that coach Marisa Moseley and her staff will take a stab at acquiring Donarski this offseason.

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Iowa State AD looks forward to leaving Longhorn Network

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard implies Texas “can’t leave soon enough.”

We’re over a decade into the Longhorn Network but some haven’t accepted that reality. 365 Sports and Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard discussed playing on the Longhorn Network as a member of the Big 12.

Craig Smoak asked Pollard what his thoughts were on having to play on Texas’ personal network. Pollard responded, “Can’t leave soon enough.”

There is a legitimate gripe that Longhorn Network isn’t worth the purchase for non-Texas fans. It isn’t the first significant matchup Texas and Iowa State have played on the channel. Nevertheless, the Cyclones stand to lose a sizable allowance apart from the Longhorns moving forward.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with Pollard refusing the monetary relevance that comes with playing in the same conference as Texas. Even so, despite the brave face the league puts on, losing the Longhorns from the conference is going to hit Iowa State and others in the pocketbook.

Here’s a look at how some responded to Pollard’s statement.

Texas and Iowa State prepare for a physical matchup on Tuesday

Texas’ crowd gets a chance to greet Caleb Grill after he undercut Dillon Mitchell in the last matchup.

Caleb Grill is a popular player in Ames, Iowa. He isn’t all that popular in Austin, Texas.

Grill made waves in the Longhorns’ last meeting with the Cyclones in what appeared to be a cheap shot on Dillon Mitchell in midair. Not only was the play out of bounds, but it crossed an unspoken line that fellow competitors don’t cross. You don’t interfere with your opponent’s ability to land.

Ames faithful lauded Grill shortly after the play as he hit a pivotal three point basket. He won’t see much positive affirmation at the Moody Center.

Undoubtedly, Tuesday’s game could get chippy. Mitchell doesn’t seem like the type to retaliate, but his teammates probably won’t shy away from standing up for their freshman forward.

Aside from the tension that the last meeting’s incident provides, both teams are battling for NCAA Tournament positioning. Texas has little margin for error in its bid for a No. 1 seed. Iowa State is simply looking to stay on the top half of NCAA Tournament seeding.

Prepare for an emotionally charged game on Tuesday night.

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Despite record-breaking performance, Sooners fall to No. 18 Iowa State

Despite Taylor Robertson’s big day, the Oklahoma Sooners struggled to hit shots in the second half, losing to Iowa State 86-78.

It was a record-breaking day in Ames, Iowa, as Taylor Robertson set the new mark for three-pointers made in NCAA. That’s where the good news ended as the Sooners lost their second-straight game on the road, this time to Iowa State 86-78.

The game was tied at half as the Sooners and Cyclones fought for Big 12 superiority. Oklahoma opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 50-42 lead in the third quarter. But Iowa State went on a 20-3 run to take control of the game. Four points was the closest the Sooners would get the rest of the way.

Oklahoma shot just 39.7% from the field and was minus-5 in the turnover department.

Taylor Robertson had 25 points on 8-10 shooting and was 6 of 8 from three. Take away Robertson’s strong shooting performance, and the Sooners were uncharacteristically cold from the floor. All other Sooners shot 33.3% from the field.

Ashley Joens led the way for the Cyclones with 32 points. She was just 10 of 22 from the field but made 8 of 11 free throws.

And it was the free throws that were the difference. Iowa State had 20 more attempts from the line than Oklahoma and had 21 more points from the free throw line than the Sooners.

The loss to Iowa State makes two-straight losses, both of which came to the two teams that were just behind Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings before their loss to Texas.

With the loss, the Sooners fall to 6-3 in the Big 12 and 16-4 overall. Jennie Baranczyk’s crew is looking to snap their two-game losing skid as they get set to host the TCU Horned Frogs on Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma dominated the Frogs back on Jan. 19, 93-66.

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Oklahoma Men’s Basketball lose votes in latest USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll

After a rough week in Big 12 play, the Sooners lose ground in their bid to land inside the USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll.

It was a tough week for the Oklahoma Sooners after they knocked off Iowa State in an upset. It was surprising to not see the Sooners in last week’s Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, but OU Men’s Basketball did not do anything to prove the voters wrong after their big win over the Cyclones.

In last Monday’s Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, the Oklahoma Sooners were on the verge of breaking into the top 25 for the first time this season. They were one of the leading vote-getters on the outside looking in of the top 25.

They dropped the first of their Red River Rivalry battles with Texas by 14 points. Then on Saturday, they lost a second-half lead and were forced to come back from a sizable deficit late to force overtime against the TCU Horned Frogs. With a chance to win at the buzzer, the Sooners couldn’t get a quality look at the basket and Elijah Harkless’ shot fell short.

The Oklahoma Sooners fell to 2-3 in Big 12 play and 12-5 overall. Next up for the Oklahoma Sooners, the No. 7 ranked Kansas Jayhawks who are 3-1 in the Big 12 and 14-2 overall. Kansas has won two in a row after falling to Texas Tech on the road.

A look at the full Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Gonzaga 14-2 787 (23) +1
2 Auburn 16-1 759 (8) +2
3 Arizona 14-1 687 (1) +3
4 Purdue 14-2 647 +1
5 Duke 14-2 643 +3
6 Baylor 15-2 642 -5
7 Kansas 14-2 611 +3
8 Wisconsin 14-2 546 +5
9 UCLA 11-2 530 -6
10 Houston 15-2 491 +1
11 Villanova 13-4 479 +3
12 Kentucky 14-3 419 +5
13 Michigan St 14-3 366 -4
14 Iowa St 14-3 326 +2
15 USC 14-2 322 -8
16 LSU 15-2 300 –4
17 Illinois 13-3 297 +7
18 Ohio St 11-4 263 -3
19 Texas Tech 13-4 261 –
20 Xavier 13-3 252 +1
21 Providence 14-2 227 -1
22 Texas 13-4 103 –
23 Colorado St 13-1 75 +4
24 Loyola-Chicago 13-2 60 +5
25 Tennessee 11-5 52 -2
25 Connecticut 11-4 52 +5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 18 Seton Hall; No. 25 Alabama

Others Receiving Votes

Miami-Florida 40; Seton Hall 37; Brigham Young 23; Alabama 21; Davidson 14; Texas A&M 11; San Diego St. 10; Iowa 10; North Carolina 6; Indiana 6; Southern Methodist 5; Oregon 5; West Virginia 4; Texas Christian 4; San Francisco 2; Oklahoma 1; Oakland 1; Murray St. 1; Grand Canyon 1; Boise St. 1

The Oklahoma Sooners have a tough road ahead but have several opportunities to make a name for themselves with highly-ranked teams left on the schedule. Here’s a look at which ranked teams the Sooners still have left on the schedule.