Iowa State basketball continues to be a major player on the national scene.

The Cyclones (22-3) were a No. 2 seed in the Feb. 17 projected men’s field of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest bracketology predictions. Here’s where the Cyclones stand ahead of their game at BYU on Saturday.

Iowa State basketball bracketology projection

Lunardi has Iowa State currently listed as a 2 seed in the Midwest Region in St. Louis. The Cyclones’ first-round matchup in this projection would come against SMU.

Iowa State basketball NET ranking

The Cyclones are No. 5 in the NET through Monday night’s games. NET rankings change daily, so be sure to keep tabs on where T.J. Otzelberger’s team lands following Saturday’s game at BYU.

Ahead of Kansas basketball’s upcoming matchup at Oklahoma State, head coach Bill Self met with the media on Monday to discuss several topics. He previewed his team’s next contest as it prepares for a road trip to Stillwater.

The Jayhawks, who are coming off a loss to Iowa State after an eight-game winning streak, are looking to get back into the W column tomorrow night. Self talked about what he has seen from the Cowboys in his early film sessions and claimed their speed has stood out to him so far.

“Their two guards, [Kanye] Clary and [Jaylen] Curry, they’re good and they’re fast,” Self said. “And their other players are quick and athletic, but I’d say the biggest thing that stands out is their speed and their ability to make plays when nothing is there. They are really good at getting downhill.”

Oklahoma State’s leading scorer is Anthony Roy, a transfer from Green Bay who is averaging 17.6 points and 3.9 rebounds. Self praised his outstanding shooting ability — Roy is shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc on 8.0 attempts per night, which is a huge reason why the Pokes rank third in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting percentage.

“I think he’s one of the league’s top players and certainly one of the league’s top shooters and scorers,” Self proclaimed about the Cowboys’ star guard. “You look at Momcilovic and we’ve seen him, Roy has that same type range and same type touch. So that’s something we’re gonna certainly have to contend with.”

Steve Lutz’s group started off the season with a perfect 9-0 record that featured solid wins over Texas A&M and Northwestern. But since conference play, OSU has played to a mediocre 4-8 record, including losses in its past three contests.

The Jayhawks are fighting for a share of the regular-season conference title, currently sitting fourth in the standings after Iowa State’s huge win over Houston last night. There is still a path where Kansas ties Arizona and/or UH for a partial Big 12 crown, but it will need to be flawless in its final six games.

“Every game this late in the season means more and more as you go, without question,” he added. “When we can see the finish line, things that happen close to the finish line are more important… I think they all take on added importance once you get into mid-to-late February.”

MORE FROM KANSAS ON SI

Three Bold Predictions for Kansas Basketball’s Matchup at Oklahoma State

Kansas’ Trip to Oklahoma State Is a Classic Big 12 Trap Game

Where Kansas Basketball Sits in Big 12 Standings After Losing to Iowa State

Kyle Whittingham is parting ways with multiple key figures in his recruiting/personnel department, including General Manager Sean Magee, Director of Player Personnel Albert Karschnia and Director of On-Campus Recruiting Kayli Johnson. This news was first reported by The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb.

Webb also reported that Director of Recruiting Sam Popper will also be leaving.

The moves come three months after the university fired head football coach Sherrone Moore. As a result, Warde Manuel hired Whittingham to take over the program. With the roster now firmly in place for the upcoming season following the transfer portal window and the signing of the 2026 class, Whittingham made the decision to part ways with most of his personnel department.

Magee joined Michigan’s staff as the program’s first football general manager in 2024, providing oversight in all off-field areas, including the management of the player personnel department, football operations and the administration of the budget for all football-related activity.

He was instrumental in flipping Bryce Underwood from LSU during the 2025 recruiting cycle, navigating the NIL space and helping to launch one of the country’s first NIL collectives (Champions Circle). He also worked closely with Manuel on the possibility of in-stadium advertising in the Big House.

As for Karschnia, the Michigan graduate worked as an intern with the program in the recruiting and operations departments in 2015 and 2016 before becoming Central Michigan’s director of player personnel for five seasons. In 2021, Michigan hired him back as director of recruiting operations.

Johnson leaves the program after two years of being the director of on-campus recruiting. Both her and Karschnia were pivotal in leading all recruiting operations, both at the high school and collegiate level.

While the timing is certainly something to ponder, there is a lot to glean reading through the tea leaves. Whittingham has made it apparent he wanted to bring his own staff to Ann Arbor, and one name that should shoot to the top of the replacement board is former Utah GM Robert Blechen. He helped assemble Utah’s best recruiting class in program history in 2023. He spent the previous 12 years in various front office roles at Utah, starting as the recruiting assistant in 2014-15 before working his way up to director of player personnel in 2017. Blenchen is currently on the open market, so it would make sense for him to join his old coach in Ann Arbor.

There’s obviously a LOT to unpack with this news, so stay with Maize n Brew as we continue to learn more about this story.