AMES — Iowa State men’s basketball fans won’t be dreading these two Mondays during the Cyclones’ 2025-26 season.
Iowa State is slated to make two appearances on ESPN’s “Big Monday” during the upcoming season. The Cyclones will host Houston on Feb. 16, and their March 2 road game at Arizona also will be featured on “Big Monday.”
ESPN started its “Big Monday” showcase in 1987 and began an alliance with the Big 12 (formerly the Big Eight) in 1992. Iowa State, Arizona and Houston all are featured in ESPN’s latest way-too-early unofficial top 25 rankings for the 2025-26 season. The Cougars are No. 3, according to ESPN, while the Wildcats are No. 13 and the Cyclones stand at No. 18.
Last season, the Cyclones split the regular-season series with Arizona, losing 86-75 in overtime on Jan. 27, before getting even with an 84-67 home win on March 1. Iowa State lost its lone meeting with Houston, the eventual national runner-up, in a 68-59 road game on Feb. 22.
The Cyclones finished 25-10 last season and lost to Ole Miss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Arizona was 24-13 and fell to Duke in the Sweet 16. Houston won Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Cougars ultimately finished with a 35-5 record and lost to Florida, 65-63, in the national championship game.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball: Cyclones to play Arizona, Houston on ESPN’s ‘Big Monday’ in 2025-26
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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