It felt like March in January at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday.
The Cincinnati Bearcats raced out to a first half lead and never looked back en route to a 79-70 win over No. 2 Iowa State, handing the Cyclones their second loss of the season. After the final buzzer sounded, Bearcats fans stormed onto the court in an incredible scene.
IT IS STORMIN' IN CINCY ☔️@GoBearcatsMBB pic.twitter.com/9iGTdsPOF6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 17, 2026
WE GOT A COURT STORMER IN CLIFTON@GoBearcatsMBB pic.twitter.com/8bPwxb2J23
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) January 17, 2026
The Bearcats and their fans had every reason to be ecstatic, for it was the program's first win vs. a top-10 opponent in 13 years, dating back to the 2012 NCAA Tournament when they defeated the 10th-ranked Florida State Seminoles. Since that point and prior to Saturday's victory, Cincinnati had lost its last 21 games against top-10 opponents, according to ESPN Insights.
After starting off 4-0, the Bearcats had gone just 5-8 up until its biggest win of the season thus far against the Cyclones. Two of the Bearcats last four losses entering the game had come by two points or fewer, including a Jan. 11 defeat to UCF on a jumper with 11 seconds left.
“When you go through some of these heartbreaking losses, you build resilience,” Bearcats coach Wes Miller said after the game. “I saw a lot of that tonight.”
The Cyclones, after a 16-0 start, have now dropped back-to-back games to unranked opponents. Meanwhile, the Bearcats (10-8) won't have long to savor this victory.
Cincinnati travels to McKale Memorial Center to take on the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats next Wednesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cincinnati Basketball Stuns Iowa State for First Top-10 Win Over a Decade .
