Latest NCAA Tournament projections for Iowa State basketball

The Cyclones are a consensus No. 1 seed for March Madness

Curtis Jones and Iowa State are currently locked in as a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Despite a recent loss to Arizona on the road, the Iowa State men are expected to be a No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament pairings are announced.

That’s especially true if things started for March Madness in February.

While the Cyclones still have some work to do, the resume they have built is one of the best. And they still have several key games awaiting them to add to it.

Here is where some of the top projections have Iowa State going, and who they would be matched up with:

Iowa State No. 1 seed in West

In the latest bracketology from ESPN, the Cyclones are shipped out West, as they are the No. 1 seed in San Francisco. 

Up first would be a meeting with either Omaha or American, while proverbial underdog Gonzaga could be next. The first two games would take place near Ames in Milwaukee despite it being the West bracket. 

On the bottom side of things are the likes of Texas A&M and Memphis, with in-state rival Drake being a possible spoiler along the way. 

Iowa State would have to get past either Tennessee, who previously held the No. 1 ranking, Michigan State or event Big 12 rival Texas Tech to reach the Final Four.

CBS Sports also has the Cyclones as the top-seed out West, taking on CCSU in the opening round followed by either Maryland or Georgia. 

Mississippi State and Louisville are the fourth and fifth seeds with Kentucky landing the No. 2 in this projection. The bottom side also includes Purdue and Clemson.

FOX Sports is another with Iowa State as the No. 1 in the West, pairing them up with UNC Asheville to start. The 8-9 matchup features Gonzaga and former Big 12 rival Oklahoma, with Louisville as the No. 2.

Tennessee is included again, but this time, as the No. 3. Florida checks in as the second-seed with Oregon there too.

Andy Katz pegs the Cyclones to the West as the No. 1 with Bryant in the opening round. Again, Gonzaga and Oklahoma land on the 8-9 line with either Kentucky or Wisconsin the likely opponent from there.

Tennessee and Purdue are the top contenders on the bottom side, with Arizona checking in as the No. 7 for a possible third - or even fourth - meeting.

Cyclones land Midwest’s top seed

According to USA Today, Iowa State would be the No. 1 seed in the Midwest bracket if the NCAA Tournament started today. The Cyclones would face either Morehead State or Southern in the opening round of play.

Maryland and Saint Mary’s would await them with a win, while Texas A&M shows up again as the No. 4 along with Illinois. 

On the bottom side is Marquette as the second-seed, which would be a rematch of a regular season won by the Cyclones in Ames. Purdue is again the No. 3 with Ole Miss and North Carolina also included.