Iowa State had its 12-game winning streak snapped over the weekend at West Virginia. If you were wondering how the Cyclones would respond Tuesday night, the answer is with a whole bunch of points.
Final score: Iowa State 108, UCF 83.
The 108 points are the most Iowa State has ever scored in regulation of a Big 12 game. Junior forward Joshua Jefferson, a transfer from Saint Mary's, was responsible for 30 of those points — plus seven rebounds, five assists and four steals while helping the Cyclones improve to 16-2 and remain No. 3 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Auburn is No. 1 for the 15th straight day.
"With Joshua, obviously, we're seeing, with every game, how he's continuing to impact winning in different ways," said ISU coach TJ Otzelberger, whose team improved to 11-0 at Hilton Coliseum. "Tonight, you could just tell he had the confidence in his shot. He puts the work in. So it's great."
Up next for Iowa State is its first two-game road trip to the Grand Canyon State. The Cyclones will play at Arizona State on Saturday, then at Arizona on Monday. Heading into the weekend, Iowa State and Arizona are tied for second in the Big 12 standings with 6-1 league records. They both trail only Houston, which is 14-3 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12 -- but just 0-3 in Quadrant 1 with zero wins over teams currently ranked in the Top 25 And 1.
Is Houston really good again? Yes, I think so.
But if you're one of the people who have noticed that I have the Cougars 11 spots lower in the Top 25 And 1 than where they are in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, please read the last part of that description of Houston's body of work two paragraphs above.
Again, the Cougars are 0-3 in Quadrant 1 with zero wins over teams in the Top 25 And 1 -- or teams in the top 35 at EvanMiya.com, which is why I have Houston 18th in the Top 25 And 1, and why Jerry Palm has the Cougars projected as a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, because those numbers are much more in line with the substance of their resume than the number AP voters have placed beside Houston's name.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 24 points and two steals in Saturday's 70-68 win at Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 23-2 |
| 2 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-63 win at Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | -- | 23-3 |
| 3 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 30 points and four steals in Tuesday's 108-83 win over UCF. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. | -- | 21-5 |
| 4 |  | Mark Sears finished with 21 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 103-87 win over Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 21-4 |
| 5 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 84-60 win over Texas. The Gators' next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | -- | 23-3 |
| 6 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 23 points and two steals in Tuesday's 68-56 win over Mississippi State. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 21-5 |
| 7 |  | Andrew Carr was 1 of 4 from the field in Saturday's 102-97 loss to Alabama. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 17-8 |
| 8 |  | Kam Jones finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 76-59 win at Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against Villanova. | -- | 20-6 |
| 9 |  | Tre Holloman finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Sunday's 80-78 win over Illinois. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 21-5 |
| 10 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 84-74 win over Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Wednesday at TCU. | 2 | 17-9 |
| 11 |  | TJ Bamba finished with 21 points and four steals in Tuesday's 82-71 win over Washington. The Ducks' next game is Saturday at Minnesota. | 2 | 18-8 |
| 12 |  | Riley Kugel was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 68-56 loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | 2 | 19-7 |
| 13 |  | Braden Smith was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 73-70 loss to Ohio State. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Michigan. | 2 | 19-8 |
| 14 |  | Sean Pedulla was 3 of 12 from 3-point range in Saturday's 84-81 overtime loss at Mississippi State. The Rebels' next game is Wednesday against Texas A&M. | -- | 19-7 |
| 15 |  | Kasparas Jakucionis was 1 of 3 from the field in Sunday's 80-78 loss at Michigan State. The Illini's next game is Thursday against Maryland. | -- | 17-10 |
| 16 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 13 points and six assists in Saturday's 68-57 win over LSU. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday at Ole Miss. | -- | 20-6 |
| 17 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 77-68 win at Charlotte. The Tigers' next game is Thursday against Wichita State. | -- | 21-5 |
| 18 |  | J'Wan Roberts finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 69-68 win at UCF. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Utah. | -- | 22-4 |
| 19 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 80-76 overtime win over Northwestern. The Wolverines' next game is Friday at Purdue. | -- | 20-5 |
| 20 |  | Solo Ball finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 80-78 overtime win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Xavier. | 2 | 18-8 |
| 21 |  | John Blackwell committed four turnovers before fouling out in Tuesday's 85-83 loss at UCLA. The Badgers' next game is Sunday against Nebraska. | 1 | 21-5 |
| 22 |  | Mark Mitchell was 1 of 7 from the field in Tuesday's 61-53 loss at Texas. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | 1 | 19-6 |
| 23 |  | Silas Demary Jr. was 3 of 10 from the field in Saturday's 70-68 loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs' next game is Wednesday at Arkansas. | -- | 16-10 |
| 24 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 79-51 win at St. John's. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Xavier. | -- | 22-4 |
| 25 |  | Reyne Smith finished with 30 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 98-73 win at SMU. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday against Wake Forest. | 1 | 20-6 |
| 26 |  | JT Toppin finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 81-71 win at Cincinnati. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday against Oklahoma State. | NR | 20-6 |
