The Iowa State Cyclones are riding high following two massive wins against the Kansas Jayhawks and the Houston Cougars. Each of these victories has helped solidify them as a contender, but they will have another tough game on Saturday night. 

As the regular season starts to wind down, the Big 12 has been hit hard by injuries of late. However, this is still considered one of the best conferences in the nation with multiple teams that could win a National Championship. 

For the Cyclones, their upcoming matchup on Saturday night against the BYU Cougars will be a great challenge. Despite Iowa State being one of the best teams in the country with just three losses, all of those defeats have come on the road. 

The Cougars have an excellent fanbase, and it will be rocking on Saturday night. For Iowa State, they will undoubtedly be trying to prove they can win marquee road games, but this will be a tall task. 

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger recently spoke with William Seals of On3 about the BYU offense and their star freshman AJ Dybantsa. 

“They’re a prolific offensive team. I mean, (AJ) Dybantsa, there’s not a good answer for how to guard him. It’s not a one-person job. His free-throw numbers are off the charts. His ability to create his own shot, score the basketball is at such a high, high level.”

Stopping Dybantsa Will Be a Challenge

As one of the best freshmen in the nation, Dybantsa is going to challenge the Iowa State defense in this game. The talented scorer is going to be one of the first picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and he has helped lead the Cougars to a special season. 

For the Cyclones, stopping him will be their top priority on defense, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to use multiple defenders on him. Likely getting a bulk of the load will be their own freshman, Killyan Toure. 

The Iowa State freshman has been one of the best on-ball defenders in the nation this year, and he has the length and size to potentially slow down Dybantsa a bit. A player of his caliber is rarely completely stopped offensively but slowing him down and making him less efficient should be the goal. 

Even though Richie Saunders is out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL, this BYU team is still a threat at home. With a need for a win and one of the best homecourt advantages in the nation, the Cyclones will be tested in this one. 

There’s a spot that’s stitched on the upper back of Amir Newman-Winfrey’s singlet he sported during the Iowa state wrestling tournament quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

That stitch comes from Nico DeSalvo’s mom, who patched the singlet two years ago before DeSalvo won his first state title at 106 pounds. One year after that, Eddie Woody donned the same exact singlet during the season when he won the 106-pound weight class for the Rams. Now, it’s Newman-Winfrey’s turn to wear it. The same duds, with ‘Rams’ printed across the chest, the same weight class and the same goal.

Win a state title.

Thus far, Newman-Winfrey has lived up to the reputation being built by Southeast Polk at 106 pound wrestlers over the last two seasons. He’s in the state finals on Feb. 21, with two pins and a major decision during the tournament to get there.

The major decision he earned was over an elite wrestler, Fort Dodge freshman Knox Ayala, the younger brother of Iowa Hawkeyes and state tournament icons Drake and Dru Ayala. Knox Ayala’s slide-by attacks, speed and grit in the top position are all already at a high level, mirroring much of what his brother’s have done.

More: Iowa high school state wrestling tournament live results, updates

Still, Newman-Winfrey rolled to a 16-3 major decision and is one match away from making it three state championships in a row at 106 pounds for Southeast Polk. At a minimum, he’s already helped his team clinch the team title in Class 3A.

“It’s just passing down to generations,” Newman-Winfrey said. “We all work hard together, we all train together. It’s amazing.”

All three of DeSalvo (138), Woody (126) and Newman-Winfrey (106) are in the state finals for the Rams this year. But the energy the team has for their young freshman is obvious. His talent level is something they have a ton of confidence in, and it has been proven right by his performance so far.

“He’s going out there and wrecking people’s souls,” DeSalvo said. “He’s going out there, no matter who you are, he’s going to try to put his skull through your face.”