Iowa State always manages to somehow play spoiler for teams and end up near the top of the Big 12 at the end of the season. They showed those abilities against Kansas State in the final game of the 2023 regular season by knocking off the Wildcats on their own senior night at home.
However, the Cyclones were silent in the spring window not bringing in a single player, but they lost six which doesn't bode very well. However, the Cyclones did retain 18 starters from last season, which looks good on paper.
If each player can take a step forward in 2024, the Cyclones could be a sneaky team. While there is depth in the roster, more depth can never hurt.