Big 12 men’s basketball power rankings: Iowa State’s Curtis Jones is lynchpin for Cyclones

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Curtis Jones had no NCAA scholarship offers out of high school in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Not Division I. Not Division II.

He only had a junior college chance at Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College. He improved enough to land at Buffalo.

Then Iowa State.

“I didn’t pass the eye test,” Jones told CBS Sports recently.

That is no longer true.

Jones has become the lynchpin for a deep, talented Iowa State team that continues to pass nearly every test this season.

The Cyclones have an elite defense. Perhaps their offense is even better.

And then there’s Jones, their do-it-all sixth man.

He started in Iowa State’s massive win over Kansas, scoring 20 of his 25 points in the first half. He had six rebounds and two steals.

“They had a player play like a first-team All-American,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Jones, “and he’s terrific.”

Let’s get to this week’s power rankings.

Iowa State basketball: Cyclones fend off Kansas in top-10 matchup

Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) goes for a shot around Kansas Jayhawks guard Rylan Griffen (6) and guard Zeke Mayo (5)during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Ames, Iowa.

Last week: 1

This week: at West Virginia (Saturday); vs. UCF (Tuesday)

What to know: Iowa State is going to be a popular Final Four pick in the office bracket pool come March, and for good reason. But what about the national champion pick? The Cyclones look the part.

Last week: 2

This week: at UCF (Saturday); vs. Utah (Tuesday)

What to know: Houston has won 32 straight games at home. Impressive. But it only just picked up its first Quad 1 win of the season in four games on Wednesday against West Virginia. Now, that’s hard to believe.

Last week: 3

This week: at Texas Tech (Saturday); at Oklahoma State (Tuesday)

What to know: The Wildcats have won seven straight games, five in Big 12 play, and most of the credit should go to 7-foot big man Henri Veesaar. The third-year redshirt sophomore from…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-mens-basketball-power-185419611.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2025-01-16 18:54:00

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