Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly said star center Audi Crooks remains in return-to-play protocol following a head injury and that the Cyclones are taking a cautious, day-to-day approach as she works toward a possible return.

The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball program has, in recent years, seen middling success as a result of their own self-imposed mediocrity. Under former head coach

IOWA CITY — Iowa men's basketball is still just short of the AP Top 25. The Hawkeyes received 47 voting points and are the second team outside of the Top 25 in the poll released Dec. 15. Iowa has not cracked the AP Top 25 since 2022.

Iowa (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten) stayed just inside the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll rankings. The Hawkeyes are the nation's No. 25 team, sliding two spots after last week's action. Iowa earned 71 points from the voters.

Iowa's men's basketball team played No. 4 Iowa State to the wire Thursday night before losing by four. As it did two weeks ago after a loss to nationally ranked Michigan State, the Hawkeyes were able to get an immediate bounce back,

Iowa State did it without star junior Audi Crooks, who missed the game with an injury she suffered during the team’s win over 12th-ranked Iowa earlier in the week. Crooks began the day leading the nation in scoring, averaging 27.8 points per game. She’s expected to finish return-to-play protocol early this week.

Iowa’s upset bid ultimately came up short as Iowa State escaped with a 66-62 victory in the Cy-Hawk rivalry. Iowa coach Ben McCollum was clearly not buying into the moral victory narrative, saying, “I thought we played good, but I like to win.”

It has been a fantastic start to the season for the Iowa State Cyclones, who continue to prove they are one of the best teams in the country.  The Cyclones have