Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball
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Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of th ...
(ISU) and competes in the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
of
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
. The Cyclones play their home games at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus.


History


Early years (1908–1980)

From 1907 to 1928, the Cyclones played in the
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA) was a college athletic conference and the second college conference formed upon its foundation on January 12, 1907.David A. Campaigne and John R. Thelin, "Big Twelve Conference", in ...
, managing a few winning records in-conference but no championships. In 1929, the Cyclones moved to the
Big Six Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associati ...
and named Louis Menze as head coach. Over the next 19 years, Menze would lead the Cyclones to four conference championships (their only seasons with a winning conference record in this period). Two of these teams earned consideration for the then eight-team NCAA tournament; the 1941 squad lost in a pre-Tournament "qualifying game" to Creighton. Three years later, the 1944 team beat
Pepperdine Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
to reach the semifinals in the tournament proper before losing its next game against eventual champion
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
, good for a spot in history as a Final Four participant. After Menze's last conference win in 1945 and subsequent resignation as coach in 1947 (he would remain Iowa State's
athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
until 1958, having taken the position in 1945), the Cyclones floated between the bottom and the middle of the conference for decades, their main claim to fame being two wins of the conference's annual " Holiday tournament", played between Christmas and New Year's Day in Kansas City, in 1955 and 1959. Neither these tournament wins, nor their regular season performances, qualified the Cyclones for postseason play in the 33 years between Menze's and Johnny Orr's stints in the head coaching position. However, the 1957 Cyclones were ranked #3 in the nation after handing
Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...
's #1
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its first loss. 200px, Gary Thompson played for Iowa 1954–1957 Gary Thompson outscored Chamberlain, while Don Medsker held Chamberlain to a career low in scoring and then hit the game winner at the buzzer. No. 3 remains the school's highest-ever national ranking. From the introduction of the Big Eight's postseason tournament in 1977 until Johnny Orr's fifth season in 1985, the Cyclones did not advance past their first game. In 1971, Maury John left
Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hist ...
to move to Iowa State. John led Drake to the 1969 NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight in 1970 NCAA tournament and 1971 NCAA tournament. John inherited an Iowa State team that was 5–21 the previous season. John was excited about the new Hilton Coliseum and led Iowa State to a 12–14 record in 1971–1972 and a 16–10 record in 1972–1973, a 15-year best. On Dec. 2, 1971, in the first game played at Hilton Coliseum, John led the Cyclones to a victory over Arizona 71–54. Said Cyclone announcer Eric Heft, a player for Coach John: "The place was sold out for the Arizona game and we doubled the capacity of season tickets from the season before. We didn't have all the fanfare you have today, but it was packed. It was my first game and Maury John's first game as the head Cyclone coach as well." In the 1973–74 season, Iowa State was off to a 4–1 start. But, John sat out the remainder of the 1973–74 season after a cancer diagnosis. Assistant Gus Guydon (11–10) finished the season. In October 1973, John had seen a doctor after having health concerns. Two months later, on the day his Iowa State team lost at Drake, John was told he had an inoperable malignant tumor at the base of his esophagus. "It was a bolt out of the blue for someone who lived his life free of smoking or drinking," His son John said later. "There was high stress. But he was always healthy." John was optimistic about returning to Iowa State in 1974–75, but his health worsened and he resigned on July 30, 1974. John said "It's going to be hard for me not to be on that bench. I won't have to sweat out all those games down on the floor. But truthfully, I'd rather be down there sweating them out." John died on October 15, 1974 at the age of 55. During a 28‐year coaching career, John had a 528–214 record. John's departure sent the Cyclones into free fall. In the next six years, Iowa State would only have one winning season, bottoming out in 1975–76 with a 3–24 record, still the worst in school history.


Johnny Orr era (1980–1994)

Johnny Orr came to Iowa State from
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
in 1980. Iowa State's athletics director had called Orr to inquire about Michigan assistant
Bill Frieder William Samuel Frieder (born March 3, 1942) is a former basketball coach at Michigan (1981–1989) and Arizona State (1989–1997). Frieder's 1985–86 team was the last Michigan team to win a Big Ten Championship until the 2011–12 team. ...
. When Orr learned of the salary Iowa State would offer Frieder, he negotiated the Iowa State head coaching job for himself. Orr is credited with building "Hilton Magic" and laying the foundation for Iowa State's success in men's basketball. A number of Cyclone greats played for Orr, including
Jeff Grayer Jeffrey Grayer (born December 17, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player and collegiate basketball coach. As a shooting guard, Grayer starred at Iowa State University from 1985 to 1988 where he set (and still holds) the all-t ...
, Barry Stevens, walk-on
Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...
, Lafester Rhodes, Justus Thigpen, Victor Alexander,
Fred Hoiberg Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg (born October 15, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played coll ...
, Julius Michalik, and
Loren Meyer Loren Henry Meyer (born December 30, 1972) is a retired American professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round (24th pick overall) o ...
, many of whom would go on to success in the NBA. Orr's first team (1980–81), led by junior forward Robert Estes (14.9 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game) produced a lackluster 9–18 record. Freshman forward Ron Harris, whom Orr considered his first prominent Cyclone recruit, contributed per-game averages of 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds. Led by sophomore Ron Harris and freshman recruit Barry Stevens of
Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...
, Orr's 1981–82 team finished the season with a 10–17 overall record and a 5–9 record in Big Eight play. Harris gave the Cyclones 13.3 points per game, while Stevens contributed 13.0 points per game. Senior Robert Estes added 10.3 points per game. The Cyclones improved to a 13–15 overall record in the 1982–83 season, but again finished 5–9 in conference play. Many of the Cyclone faithful regard sophomore Barry Stevens' buzzer-beating shot against 10th-ranked
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
during the 1982–83 season as the foundational example of "Hilton Magic." Stevens tallied per-game averages of 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds for the season. Ron Harris contributed 14.3 points per game. Orr's 1983–84 team recorded the first winning season of his tenure at Iowa State—and the first winning season for Cyclone basketball since Lynn Nance's 1977–78 team finished 14–13—with a 16–13 overall mark and a 6–8 record in conference play. The Cyclones played in the
1984 National Invitation Tournament The 1984 National Invitation Tournament was the 1984 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.
(NIT), losing to Marquette in the first round. Junior forward Barry Stevens averaged 22.2 points per game on the season. Seniors Terrence Allen and Ron Harris each averaged 11.0 points per game. Led by senior Barry Stevens and freshman forward Jeff Grayer, natives of Flint, Michigan known at Iowa State as "The Flintstones", the 1984–85 Cyclones finished tied for third in conference play (7–7) and finished 21–13 overall. Iowa State advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time under Orr and for just the second time in the history of the program. The Cyclones, the #13 seed in the Midwest Region, lost to #4 seed
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
by a score of 75–64. ISU managed to upset 10th-ranked Kansas twice during the regular season. Stevens averaged 21.7 points per game. Junior guard Jeff Hornacek recorded 12.5 points per game, and Grayer averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds on the season. Despite the departure of two-time first-team All-Big Eight forward Stevens, the 1985–86 campaign saw First-team All-Big Eight players Grayer and Hornacek lead the Cyclones to their most successful season yet under Orr. Iowa State finished with a 22–11 overall mark and a 9–5 record and second-place finish in conference play. The Cyclones advanced to the NCAA tournament in consecutive years for the first time in school history. With wins over #10 seed Miami (Ohio) and #2 seed Michigan, the #7 seed Cyclones reached the "Sweet Sixteen" before falling to #6 seed North Carolina State, 70–66. Grayer led the Cyclones with per-game averages of 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. Hornacek averaged 13.7 points per game. The Cyclones upset 5th-ranked
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
and 4th-ranked Kansas during the regular season. The 1986–87 Cyclones finished with a 13–15 overall record and a 5–9 record in Big Eight play, missing postseason tournament competition for the first time in four seasons. Grayer (now a junior) averaged 22 points and 7 rebounds per game, while senior Tom Schafer averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds. Despite their struggles, the 1986–87 Cyclones managed wins over two ranked teams (15th-ranked Kansas and 12th-ranked Oklahoma). Orr's 1987–88 Cyclones rebounded from the losing season of the prior year to finish 20–12 overall and 6–8 in conference play, including wins over #2
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mo ...
, #7
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, #16 Kansas, and #15 Missouri. Iowa State returned to the NCAA tournament, losing 90–78 to #5 seed
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
in the first round. The Cyclones were led by senior and three-time first-team All-Big Eight forward Jeff Grayer and senior Lafester Rhodes, who averaged 25 and 22 points per game, respectively. The 1988–89 Cyclones finished the season 17–12 overall and 7–7 in conference play, including a victory over third-ranked Missouri in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones advanced to their fourth NCAA tournament under Orr, losing 84–74 to #7 seed
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
in the first round. Sophomore Victor Alexander averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game on the season. Sophomore Mark Baugh averaged 13.3 points per game, while Sam Mack contributed per-game averages of 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds. Following the loss of key players to attrition and legal problems in the offseason, the 1989–90 Cyclones finished 10–18 overall and 4–10 in conference play, marking the Cyclones' second-worst season under Orr. Only Orr's 1980–81 team, his first at ISU, had finished with a worse overall record. Junior Victor Alexander averaged 19.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Terry Woods averaged 16 points per game. The 1990–91 season saw the Cyclones finish with an overall record of 12–19 and a conference record of 6–8. Despite their poor overall performance, the Cyclones managed wins over two ranked teams (#12
Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, ...
and #21 Oklahoma). Senior Victor Alexander averaged 23.4 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game, while senior Doug Collins averaged 14.3 points per game. Iowa State's fortunes improved during the 1991–92 season, with the Cyclones finishing 21–13 overall (5–9 in conference play) and earning the #10 seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament. The Cyclones defeated #7 seed
UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...
in the opening round before losing 106–98 to #2 seed
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
in the round of 32. Iowa State recorded wins over #16 Iowa, #21 Oklahoma, #2 Oklahoma State, #3 Kansas, and #13 Missouri during the regular season. Junior Justus Thigpen led the team with 16.3 points per game, while junior Ron Bayless averaged 12.6 points per game. Freshmen Julius Michalik and Fred Hoiberg averaged 13.6 and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Iowa State finished the 1992–93 season with a 20–11 overall record and a second-place 8–6 record in conference play. The Cyclones advanced to their sixth and final NCAA tournament under head coach Johnny Orr, losing in the first round to #9 seed UCLA, 81–70. Iowa State managed victories over #12 Oklahoma and #7 Kansas during the regular season. Seniors Justus Thigpen and Ron Bayless led the team with 17.6 points and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Sophomore Julius Michalik and Ames native and sophomore Fred Hoiberg contributed 12.0 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. In the 1993–94 campaign—Orr's final season as Iowa State men's basketball head coach—the Cyclones posted a 14–13 overall mark and a 4–10 record in conference play. ISU was led by a trio of juniors—Loren Meyer, Fred Hoiberg, and Julius Michalik, each of whom averaged over 20 points per game on the season. Orr retired from coaching in 1994. He remains the winningest coach in Iowa State history (in terms of total wins), with a win–loss record of 218–200 as the head coach of the Cyclones.


Tim Floyd era (1994–1998)

Following Johnny Orr's retirement, Iowa State hired Tim Floyd from the
University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...
to become the next men's basketball head coach. Floyd's first ISU team recorded a 23–11 overall mark and a 6–8 mark in conference play, and advanced to the second round of the 1995 NCAA tournament by beating
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, 64–61, before losing 73–51 to #2 seed
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. Senior Fred Hoiberg averaged 19.9 points per game. Seniors Loren Meyer and Julius Michalik averaged 15.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and 14.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, respectively. Following the graduation of four starters from the 1994–95 Cyclones, Tim Floyd replenished his roster with several
junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in ...
and Division I transfers. Four of the 1995–96 team's starters had not been part of the ISU roster during the prior season, with sophomore point guard Jacy Holloway being the lone exception.
Dedric Willoughby Dedric Demond Willoughby (born May 27, 1974, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, Willoughby began his college basketball career at the University of New Orleans, then transferred to Iowa ...
transferred to Iowa State from the University of New Orleans, and Kenny Pratt, Shawn Bankhead, and
Kelvin Cato Kelvin Tavares Cato (born August 26, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Cato was an obscure player averaging six points and six rebounds at the University of South Alabama in 1992–93. At that time, he ...
each transferred from junior colleges to play for the Cyclones. The 1995–96 Cyclones finished with a 24–9 overall record, a second-place 9–5 conference record, and the final Big Eight tournament championship—the first conference tournament championship in Cyclone basketball history—with a 56–55 victory over Roy Williams' Kansas Jayhawks. Iowa State earned the #5 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, the then-highest seed achieved in ISU men's basketball history. The Cyclones defeated #12 seed
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74–64 in the first round of the Tournament; Rick Majerus' #4 seed Utah Utes defeated ISU 73–67 in the second round. Dedric Willoughby averaged 20.5 points per game on the season. Kenny Pratt averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while Kelvin Cato contributed per-game averages of 9.6 points and 7.7 rebounds. The 1996–97 Cyclones returned all five starters from the previous season's Big Eight tournament championship and NCAA Tournament team. Iowa State finished with a 22–9 overall record and a 10–6 conference mark in the inaugural season of the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
. The Cyclones would advance to the third NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen in Iowa State men's basketball history with victories over
Illinois State Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
and
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, before falling in a 74–73 overtime loss to UCLA. Senior Dedric Willoughby averaged 18.9 points per game for the season, and seniors Kenny Pratt and Kelvin Cato averaged 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and 11.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, respectively. Tim Floyd's 1997–98 Cyclones finished the season with a 12–18 overall record and a 5–11 conference record. Freshman forward
Marcus Fizer Darnell Marcus Lamar Fizer (born August 10, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. High school career Fizer played high school basketball at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Louisiana. As a senior, Fizer was selected to pla ...
averaged 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and Klay Edwards contributed per-game averages of 9.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. Following the season, Floyd left Iowa State to replace
Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 a ...
as the head coach of the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
.


Larry Eustachy era (1998–2003)

Iowa State hired
Larry Eustachy Larry Robert Eustachy (born December 1, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the Colorado State Rams He was previously the head coach at Idaho and Eustachy was the AP Coach of the Year in 2000 a ...
from
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
to fill the head coaching position vacated by Tim Floyd. In his first season, Eustachy led the Cyclones to 15–15 overall record and a 6–10 record in Big 12 play. Sophomore Marcus Fizer averaged 18 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Michael Nurse and Martin Rancik both averaged 10.3 points per game. Following his first season, Eustachy gained the services of two guards, Jamaal Tinsley and Kantrail Horton, via transfer. The 1999–2000 Cyclones returned Marcus Fizer, Martin Rancik, Michael Nurse, and Stevie Johnson from the previous season's team. Iowa State finished the season 32–5 overall, setting a school record for wins in a season. The Cyclones finished 14–2 in conference play to earn the outright Big 12 Conference regular season championship—the sixth regular season conference title in the program's history, and the first since 1945. The Cyclones then defeated Oklahoma 70–58 in the Big 12 basketball tournament finals to win the Big 12 conference tournament championship, the second conference tournament title in ISU men's basketball history. The #2 seed Cyclones advanced to the
Elite Eight In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
of the 2000 NCAA tournament after wins over #15 seed
Central Connecticut State Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connectic ...
, #7 seed Auburn, and #6 seed UCLA by 10, 19, and 24 points, respectively, but ultimately fell to
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
, the eventual NCAA Champion, in the regional finals by a score of 75–64 (the differential representing the Spartans' narrowest margin of victory during the tournament). It was the Cyclones' deepest NCAA Tournament run in the modern era. The Big 12 champion Cyclones were led in scoring by All-American forward and eventual fourth pick of the 2000 NBA draft Marcus Fizer, who averaged 22.8 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. Michael Nurse and first team All-Big 12 guard Jamaal Tinsley contributed 12.5 points and 11 points per game, respectively. Despite the departure of Marcus Fizer to the NBA, Eustachy's 2000–01 Cyclones, led by returning senior and eventual All-American guard Jamaal Tinsley and senior Kantrail Horton, managed a 25–6 overall record and a 13–3 record in conference play, earning a second consecutive Big 12 regular season championship. Iowa State earned a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament, but the Cyclones' season ended with a stunning 58–57 defeat at the hands of #15 seed
Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...
. Iowa State became just the fourth #2 seed to lose to a #15 seed since the expansion of the Tournament field to 64 teams in 1985. Jamaal Tinsley led the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game. Martin Rancik and freshman Jake Sullivan added 13.2 points per game and 11.4 points per game, respectively. The 2001–02 Cyclones produced the worst overall men's basketball record since the 1990–91 season, finishing 12–19 overall record and 4–12 in conference play. Tyray Pearson averaged 18.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Jake Sullivan and Shane Power contributed per-game averages of 16 points and 13.6 points, respectively. The 2002–03 Cyclones finished with a 17–14 overall record and a 5–11 conference record. ISU accepted an invitation to the NIT. The Cyclones defeated
Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study ...
in the opening (play-in) round, but fell 54–53 to Iowa in the first round. Jake Sullivan led the team in scoring with 17 points per game.
Jackson Vroman Jackson Brett Vroman (June 6, 1981 – June 29, 2015) was an American-born Lebanese professional basketball player. He was naturalized as a Lebanese citizen to play for the Lebanon national basketball team, replacing the other naturalized American ...
contributed 12.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Junior point guard Tim Barnes averaged 11.3 points per game. Following the 2002–03 season, pictures surfaced showing Larry Eustachy at a student party in
Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourt ...
. Eustachy attended the party just hours after his team had lost to Missouri. Though Eustachy broke no laws, he did violate a conduct clause in his contract, which led to Eustachy's public admission of
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
. Eustachy subsequently resigned on May 5, 2003, receiving a $960,000 settlement from Iowa State.


Wayne Morgan & Greg McDermott era (2003–2010)

In 2004 Iowa State reached the NIT semifinals under Wayne Morgan with wins over
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
,
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
, and Marquette, before falling to
Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...
. In 2005 Iowa State reached the NCAA Tournament and defeated the University of Minnesota in a 1st-round game, losing to eventual national champion the University of North Carolina. Both teams were led by Curtis Stinson and NBA Draft pick
Will Blalock William Anthony Blalock (born September 8, 1983 in Boston) is a former American professional basketball player, who last played for the Saint John Mill Rats of the National Basketball League of Canada. Early years Blalock played basketball at E ...
. Morgan's won-lost record from 2003 to 2006 was 55–39. Morgan was replaced by Greg McDermott, who previously coached at
Northern Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
. During McDermott's tenure, he recruited Craig Brackins, Michael Taylor, Justin Hamilton, Diante Garrett and
Wes Johnson Wes Johnson (born June 6, 1961) is an American actor, cartoonist, comedian and voice artist, who has appeared in such films as ''A Dirty Shame'', ''Head of State'', '' The Invasion'', ''For Richer or Poorer'' and '' Hearts in Atlantis''. He ha ...
, all of whom would eventually play in the NBA. In 2010, McDermott resigned to accept the head coaching position at Creighton. From 2006 to 2010 Greg McDermott recorded a won lost record of 59–68 with no NCAA appearances. He was replaced by Fred Hoiberg.


Fred Hoiberg era (2010–2015)

On April 27, 2010, it was announced that
Fred Hoiberg Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg (born October 15, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played coll ...
, a star at Iowa State in the early and mid-1990s, would become the 19th coach in the history of the Iowa State men's basketball program. In his first season as coach, Hoiberg led a team with only four returning players to a 16–16 record. In his second season, Iowa State had a much deeper team with players such as
Royce White Royce Alexander White (born April 10, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. During his brief tenure with the NBA—he played just briefly in three regular-season games—White was open about his history of Generalized Anxi ...
,
Chris Babb Chris Babb (born February 14, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for Pennsylvania State University and Iowa State University. Early life Ba ...
, and others now eligible to play after sitting out the previous year due to transfer rules. The Cyclones improved to 23–11, had 12 wins in the conference, and earned a #8 seed in the South Regional in the 2012 NCAA tournament, earning Hoiberg Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year honors. The Cyclones defeated the #9 seed and defending national champion
Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...
before falling to overall #1 seed and eventual champion Kentucky. In Hoiberg's third season, the Cyclones earned a #10 seed and defeated #7 Notre Dame to advance to the Round of 32. It was the first year the Cyclones had been to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years since 2000–2001, and the first time the Cyclones had won Tournament games in successive seasons since 1996–1997. Hoiberg entered his fourth season at Iowa State by guiding the team to its best start to a season with a 14–0 undefeated non-conference record before suffering its first loss to Big 12 rival Oklahoma, 87–82, on January 11, 2014, in Norman. The winning streak included victories over #7 Michigan and #23 Iowa, plus wins over
George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...
,
Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
, and
Boise State Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a pub ...
to capture the
Diamond Head Classic The Diamond Head Classic is a three-day invitational college basketball tournament held at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on the campus of the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Each team plays three games, winners facing winners and loser ...
in
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
. The Cyclones entered the
Big 12 men's basketball tournament The Big 12 men's basketball tournament (known since its inception in 1997 under sponsorship agreements as the Phillips 66 Big 12 men's basketball tournament) is the championship men's basketball tournament in the Big 12 Conference. It is a single- ...
with a 23–7 mark. After a close call with Kansas State in the quarterfinals, Iowa State faced Kansas in the semifinals, the only team it had not beaten at least once all year to that point. ISU emerged victorious this time, beating the Jayhawks, 94–83. Iowa State went on to beat Baylor in the Big 12 championship game, 74–65, for its first conference tournament title since 2000. The Cyclones earned a #3 seed in the East Regional of the 2014 NCAA tournament and defeated their first opponent, North Carolina Central, 93–75. Another close call came next in the third-round game against North Carolina, with ISU prevailing, 85–83. The Cyclones advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2000, and lost to #7 seed Connecticut, 81–76 (the differential representing the Huskies' narrowest margin of victory during the tournament), the eventual national champion. This marked the third time in their last four trips to the NCAA Tournament that the Cyclones lost to the eventual national champions (2005 North Carolina, 2012 Kentucky, and 2014 Connecticut.) In 2014–15, Hoiberg's Cyclones finished the season with a 25–9 overall record and 12–6 in the Big 12, finishing second to Kansas in the conference regular season. ISU defeated
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, 69–67, Oklahoma, 67–65, and Kansas, 70–66, in the championship to win its second straight Big 12 Conference tournament championship. Invited to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year, the #3 seed Cyclones were upset by #14 seed UAB, 60–59, in the first round. The Cyclones finished the season ranked ninth in the final AP poll. After several weeks of speculation, Fred Hoiberg was hired on June 2, 2015 by the NBA's Chicago Bulls to be their head coach.


Steve Prohm era (2015–2021)

On June 8, 2015, Iowa State announced that
Steve Prohm Steven Marshall Prohm (born July 12, 1974) is an American basketball coach who is in his second tenure as the head coach for Murray State men's basketball. Previously, he was the head coach at Iowa State University, a position he had held from ...
, previously the head coach at
Murray State Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...
for four seasons, would become the 20th head coach of the Cyclones. After the departure of
Fred Hoiberg Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg (born October 15, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played coll ...
, Prohm retained Assistant Coach T.J. Otzelberger and Assistant Coach Director of Basketball Operations Micah Byars on his staff, while making the additions of Assistant Coach William Small (formerly under Prohm as an assistant at Murray State), Assistant Coach Daniyal Robinson (formerly on staff at Loyola (IL)), and Special Assistant to the Head Coach Neill Berry, who was previously on staff at High Point, and played for Prohm in college at Southeastern Louisiana. Prohm's first season was a success with a few bumps along the way. The Cyclones finished the regular season 10–8 in conference play and 21–10 overall, this included wins over No. 1
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
and No. 4
Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
. The Cyclones then received a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. After wins over
Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...
and Arkansas–Little Rock they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
. After the conclusion of the season Otzelberger accepted the head coaching job at
South Dakota State South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. ...
, Neill Berry was promoted to assistant coach. On February 4, 2017, Iowa State won at No. 3
Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
, ending the longest active home win streak in NCAA men's college basketball at 54 games. Iowa State became the first team to beat
Bill Self Billy Eugene Self Jr. (born December 27, 1962) is an American basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, a position he has held since 2003. During his 19 seasons as head coach, he has led the Jayhawks to ...
more than once at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cyclones then proceeded to win their third conference tournament title in four years with wins over Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia. The Cyclones were selected as a five seed in NCAA tournament where they proceeded to beat the University of Nevada in the tournament's second round. Iowa State then lost to 4-seed Purdue in the round of 32, 80–76. After a down 2017–2018 season, in 2018-2019 the Cyclones went 23–12, and 9–9 in the Big 12 conference. They faced Baylor in the first round of the
Big 12 Tournament The Big 12 Conference sponsors championships in 23 sports, 10 men's and 13 women's. The first conference championship awarded was the 1996 softball postseason tournament championship, which was won by Oklahoma. From 2011 through 2016, the foot ...
, winning 83–66. They next beat number 1 seed Kansas State, 63–59. They played Kansas in the Big 12 Championship and won 78-66. They were a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. They played Ohio State, who was an 11 seed. They lost 62–59, after Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft hit a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining. On March 26, Iowa State announced that Steve Prohm's contract had been extended through 2025, while sophomore forward Cameron Lard requested a transfer from the school, citing the need for a fresh start. On March 15, 2021, Steve Prohm mutually parted ways with Iowa State University as the head men's basketball coach.


T.J. Otzelberger era (2021–present)

On March 18, 2021, former Iowa State assistant coach
T. J. Otzelberger Thomas John Otzelberger (born September 17, 1977) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at Iowa State University. Early and personal life Otzelberger was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Thomas L. and Jac ...
, who spent the last 2 seasons as head coach at
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
, was named the 21st head coach of the program. As of March 7, 2022, the Cyclones are 20-12 in Otzelberger’s first season with victories over Texas Tech, Texas, Memphis, and Iowa, suffering their first loss to #1 ranked Baylor on January 1, 2022.


Coaching records


Season records


NBA draft

As of the conclusion of the
2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...
, 41 Cyclone players have been selected in the NBA draft in the history of the program. Of these, ten players were selected in the first round, and eleven were selected in the second round.


Individual accomplishments


All-Time Cyclone scoring leaders


All-Time Cyclone rebounding leaders


All-Time Cyclone assist leaders


Cyclone All-Americans


First Team All-Conference selections


Retired numbers

Iowa State has retired seven numbers to date:


Rankings

*''AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.''
^''Coaches do not release a Week 1 poll.''


See also

*
Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball The Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The team is coached by Bill Fennelly, who is in his 28th year at Iowa State. The Cyclones play their ...


References


External links

* {{Big 12 men's basketball