I love the roller coaster of a season that No. 10 Iowa State has had thus far.

To be fair, I am a big roller coaster fan, but with the way that this team was projected to do in the preseason, I am not a fan of how this roller coaster of a season has gone, at least as of late.

We’ve had everything from rolling through each opponent with ease to losing sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic with a hand injury that resulted in the Cyclones’ four Big 12 conference losses, to where we are now, on a two-game winning streak with Momcilovic fully healthy.

I don’t need to ramble on about how those losses may have affected Iowa State’s chances at winning the conference or even being a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, but what I can do is talk about how these recent wins can benefit the team moving forward.

Because honestly, why not look at the positive side of things instead of looking at things through a negative lens? I mean, the Cyclones did pick up two key wins, despite it being against teams who have been subpar this season in the Big 12.

Nonetheless, these wins over TCU at home and UCF on the road proved that Iowa State may have its mojo back, and I’m curious to see how this will affect the team’s outlook for the final seven-game push.

The next two games are fortunately at home for the Cyclones, with the first being against Cincinnati and the second being against Colorado.

The game against the Bearcats could be an interesting one, just knowing that they were ranked in the preseason, but have since fallen off this season. They currently sit with a 5-8 Big 12 record, with the majority of their success coming from home.

As for the Buffaloes, it’ll be the third time this season that Iowa State and Colorado have faced off, with the last one conveniently being played in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones already have the Buffaloes figured out, so I expect much of the same Tuesday night.

Right after that is where it gets interesting. After having two consecutive home games, Iowa State heads on the road for two consecutive games, which begins with a trip to Houston to play the No. 6 Cougars.

This game, in my opinion, is the game that makes or breaks the Cyclones, because we’ve seen Houston lose at home to Texas Tech, albeit a one-point loss in overtime, where the Cougars could’ve sealed the deal but shot themselves in the foot.

Nevertheless, Houston still sits as the king of the Big 12 with a 12-1 record, and is 6-1 at the Fertitta Center in conference games, so it’ll be crucial for Iowa State to either come out of Texas with a huge upset win or a close loss.

Next, the Cyclones head to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to take on Oklahoma State, It hasn’t had a great season either with a 4-8 conference record, but has had success at home with a 4-2 record.

While it initially looks like Iowa State could win in Stillwater, the Cyclones haven’t won at the Gallagher-Iba Arena since 2022, so getting another win here is key.

Following the two games on the road, Iowa State hosts Arizona to open up the month of March, in what should be a rematch for the ages.

We all saw what happened in Tucson, so the Wildcats making a trip to Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 1983 makes it even sweeter, especially with it being nationally televised on ESPN.

Then, the Cyclones welcome BYU to Ames for the final home game of the season, and this one could also be dangerous for Iowa State considering the Cougars have had a decent season with a 7-6 conference record.

The Cyclones then wrap up the season with a trip to Manhattan, Kansas, where Iowa State will look to get revenge against the team that ended a 29-game winning streak for the Cyclones in Hilton Coliseum.

Much like its series against the Cowboys, Iowa State hasn’t won in the Bramlage Coliseum since the 2022 season, so ending off the season with a potential revenge win would be huge entering the Big 12 tournament.

I am back to being hopeful with the back-to-back wins, but all that’s left is to wait and watch to see what this Cyclones team does heading into mid-March.