From 1907 to 1928, the Cyclones played in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association,[2] managing a few winning records in-conference but no championships.

Two of these teams earned consideration for the then eight-team NCAA tournament; the 1941 squad lost in a pre-Tournament "qualifying game" to Creighton.

Three years later, the 1944 team beat Pepperdine to reach the semifinals in the tournament proper before losing its next game against eventual champion Utah, good for a spot in history as a Final Four participant.

Neither these tournament wins, nor their regular season performances, qualified the Cyclones for postseason play in the 33 years between Menze's and Johnny Orr's stints in the head coaching position.

Two months later, on the day his Iowa State team lost at Drake, John was told he had an inoperable malignant tumor at the base of his esophagus.

Orr is credited with building "Hilton Magic" and laying the foundation for Iowa State's success in men's basketball.

Freshman forward Ron Harris, whom Orr considered his first prominent Cyclone recruit, contributed per-game averages of 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Many of the Cyclone faithful regard sophomore Barry Stevens' buzzer-beating shot against 10th-ranked Missouri during the 1982–83 season as the foundational example of "Hilton Magic.

Orr's 1987–88 Cyclones rebounded from the losing season of the prior year to finish 20–12 overall and 6–8 in conference play, including wins over #2 Purdue, #7 Iowa, #16 Kansas, and #15 Missouri.

Iowa State's fortunes improved during the 1991–92 season, with the Cyclones finishing 21–13 overall (5–9 in conference play) and earning the #10 seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament.

The Cyclones advanced to their sixth and final NCAA tournament under head coach Johnny Orr, losing in the first round to #9 seed UCLA, 81–70.

In the 1993–94 campaign—Orr's final season as Iowa State men's basketball head coach—the Cyclones posted a 14–13 overall mark and a 4–10 record in conference play.

Following Johnny Orr's retirement, Iowa State hired Tim Floyd from the University of New Orleans to become the next men's basketball head coach.

Four of the 1995–96 team's starters had not been part of the ISU roster during the prior season, with sophomore point guard Jacy Holloway being the lone exception.

Following the season, Floyd left Iowa State to replace Phil Jackson as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

The 1999–2000 Cyclones returned Marcus Fizer, Martin Rancik, Michael Nurse, and Stevie Johnson from the previous season's team.

Stinson, fellow sophomore Will Blalock, and senior Jared Homan led the team in scoring, assists, and rebounds, respectively.

Following the season, CBS Sportsline reported that Morgan had paid a company to arrange the team's non-conference scheduling in exchange for recruiting assistance.

During McDermott's tenure, he recruited Craig Brackins, Michael Taylor, Justin Hamilton, Diante Garrett and Wes Johnson, all of whom would eventually play in the NBA.

In his second season, Iowa State had a much deeper team with players such as Royce White, Chris Babb, and others now eligible to play after sitting out the previous year due to transfer rules.

The Cyclones earned a #3 seed in the East Regional of the 2014 NCAA tournament and defeated their first opponent, North Carolina Central, 93–75.

The Cyclones advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2000, and lost to #7 seed Connecticut, 81–76 (the differential representing the Huskies' narrowest margin of victory during the tournament), the eventual national champion.

This marked the third time in their last four trips to the NCAA Tournament that the Cyclones lost to the eventual national champions (2005 North Carolina, 2012 Kentucky, and 2014 Connecticut.)

3 Kansas, ending the longest active home win streak in NCAA men's college basketball at 54 games.

On March 26, Iowa State announced that Prohm's contract had been extended through 2025,[22] while sophomore forward Cameron Lard requested a transfer from the school, citing the need for a fresh start.

The Chicago Tribune the next day headlined the story about the game "STRUCK BY A CYCLONE — It Comes From Iowa and Devastates Evanston Town."

Prior to the football match-up against Colorado on November 12, 2005, a tornado touched down in several places in and around Ames, Iowa, forcing fans to either weather the storm outside in the parking lot or seek shelter in the adjacent Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility or nearby Hilton Coliseum.

The building was specifically built to hold in sound with a solid concrete structure, steel doors, and a crowd that sits just a few feet from the court.

During big games, players from opposing teams, as well as Iowa State, have even said that the floor has shaken due to the loudness of the crowd.

The now famous moniker for Iowa State's home basketball facility was coined by Des Moines Register writer Buck Turnbull on February 14, 1989, after the Cyclones (with Johnny Orr as coach) stunned third-ranked Missouri, 82–75.