I realize some thought Iowa State was an overachiever last season as opposed to legitimately one of the sport's best teams -- but it's getting harder and harder to hold on to that opinion. After the Cyclones went 10-1 in the non-league portion of their schedule,

The past hardly matters now that Big 12 play has begun, especially when you're the road team in conference play. Iowa State ran Colorado off the court in the Maui Invitational, beating the Buffaloes by 28 points on Nov.

Julian Hammond III had 21 points and RJ Smith scored 14 for Colorado, which returned to the Big 12 after 13 seasons in the Pac-12 Conference. It was the Buffaloes' first Big 12 game since beating Nebraska 67-57 in Boulder on March 5, 2011.