Last year Iowa State and Iowa squared off in a game with similar implications to this season. The Cyclones began the season 8-0 and turned heads during their preseason tournament en route to a 12-0 start before their first loss of the year in January. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, began their year 7-2 — their only losses coming at the hands of Big 10 opponents Purdue and Illinois.
This year, Iowa State sports a 7-1 record after turning heads (again) at a preseason tournament while the Hawks are 6-1, their only blemish coming at the behest of Jamie Dixon’s TCU Horned Frogs.