Last year, Iowa State fielded arguably the best Big 12 offense since around the turn of the millennium. According to KenPom's College basketball ratings, the Cyclone offense last year earned the best rating in the history of Big 12 teams since 2002.
By taking a quick glance at Iowa State's record, finish in the Big 12 hierarchy and Sweet Sixteen tournament run, your average hot take casual fan would take the Cyclones KenPom offensive rating and warp it into, "If they were that good, why didn't they win more games?" The short answer is that Iowa State was incredibly mediocre on defense.