Iowa State Cyclones NCAA Basketball Betting
In his four seasons as head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, TJ Otzelberger has joined the conversation of ranking with such program greats as Fred Hoiberg, Tim Floyd, and Johnny Orr as the best in modern history. Iowa State has made the NCAA Tournament all four seasons under Otzelberger and made the Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2024. Thus, a second-round exit in 2025 was a bitter disappointment. Still, Cyclone fans are living large with Otzelberger, who has won a school-best .679 percent of his games. The Cyclones faded after a hot start as they were outed for lacking depth. But overall, it was another successful and entertaining season in Ames.
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
2025 Iowa State Cyclones Season Recap
Overall, the Iowa State Cyclones are 25-10 straight up, 17-14 against the spread, and 13-18 over/under the total. Iowa State has national metrics of 38th for scoring offense, 36th for field goal percentage, 82nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 57th for free throw percentage, and 146th for offensive rebounding. While defensively, Iowa State is 63rd for scoring defense, 63rd for field goal percentage permitted, 158th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 39th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Iowa State has covered three of its previous five games and has gone under the total in six of its last nine outings. Cutis Jones is first among Iowa State scorers with 17.4 points per game.
Mississippi's senior-dominated roster understood how much was at stake this season. The Rebels responded by doing something this program hadn't accomplished in over two decades. Sean Pedulla scored 20 points, Jaemyn Brakefield had 19, and Ole Miss beat Iowa State 91-78 on Sunday night to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history.
Curtis Jones had 26 points for the third-seeded Cyclones. Joshua Jefferson scored 16 points, and Nate Heise added 13. After scoring 20 points in Iowa State’s 82-55 first-round victory over Lipscomb, Milan Momcilovic had just five points Sunday while shooting 2 of 12.
After falling behind 13-5 early, Ole Miss dominated the rest of the way. The Rebels pulled ahead for good by going on a 20-2 run that turned a 15-8 deficit into a 28-17 advantage.
“They’re a team that plays with a lot of toughness,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “They’re connected defensively, their switching can be disruptive. At times it wears on you mentally, you’re not able to get the ball in the paint and not get the normal plays that you want to make.”
While the 2024-25 season did not end with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament as many wanted, it was filled with plenty of memorable moments and memories for Iowa State.
The Cyclones rose to the No. 2 spot in the AP and Coaches Polls earlier this year before Milan Momcilovic's injury resulted in a mid-season swoon. Once Momcilovic returned, Iowa State got back on track before another injury caused trouble.
Keshon Gilbert missed time at the end of the season and into the Big 12 Conference Tournament before seeing his year conclude by stepping foot in the NCAA Tournament.
Gilbert, the conference tournament MVP last year, was too much of a loss to overcome. Without his ability to break defenses down, the Iowa State offense looked out of sorts. Nate Heise and others did all they could to overcome it, but the skill level of Ole Miss was too much in the second round.
Curtis Jones made a name for himself, rising from out of nowhere to become the top sixth-man in the country. He led the Cyclones in scoring and was an instant offense off the bench.
You can bet TJ Otzelberger will once again look to find hidden gems in the transfer portal as he did last year to pair with the players set to return in 2025-26.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2025 |
Lost Second Round vs. (6) Mississippi 78–91 |
| 2024 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (10) Illinois 69–72 |
| 2023 |
Lost First Round vs. (11) Pittsburgh 41–59 |
| 2022 |
Lost Sweet 16 vs. (10) Miami (FL), 56–70 |
| 2019 |
Lost First Round vs. (11) Ohio State, 59–62 |
| 2017 |
Lost Second Round vs. (4) Purdue, 76–80 |
| 2016 |
Lost Sweet 16 vs. (1) Virginia, 71–84 |
| 2015 |
Lost First Round vs. (14) UAB, 59–60 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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