Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) looks to pass the ball over West Virginia guard Chance Moore (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

West Virginia men’s basketball couldn’t pick up a big road upset over No. 3 Iowa State to start Big 12 play.

The Mountaineers were rolled 80-59 by the undefeated Cyclones, proving even more their case for being the top team in the Big 12. Iowa State was ranked No. 3 in the last AP Poll and is two spots behind Arizona for the highest-ranked team in the conference.

WVU lost its first game since the double overtime loss to Ohio State on Dec. 13, and is now 9-5 on the season. Iowa State has now won all 14 of its games to start the season. The Cyclones are one of the few undefeated teams in the country.

It was close for the first 15 minutes, but then Iowa State pulled away. It was a collective effort for the Cyclones in not the prettiest game they’ve had all season. Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic found his stride and knocked down eight 3-pointers to lead his team with 26 points. Blake Buchanan also helped and had 14 points on a sharp seven for 11 shooting. The Cyclones missed a couple of 3-pointers early, but nailed 13 deep shots en route to victory.

“Now, when they go on a run in the second half, you’re down twenty instead of being down eight to ten, where you can still put on a little pressure,” head coach Ross Hodge said. “They did what good teams do.”

WVU was already behind the 8-ball in multiple aspects, but it didn’t help that starting Mountaineers forward Brenen Lorient was ruled out before the game, dealing with a day-to-day injury. Lorient was a top-three scorer for the Mountaineers and one of the better rebounders.

WVU had to go with a small-ball lineup, and it really missed Lorient’s rebounding production. Iowa State outrebounded the Mountaineers 35 to 23. Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson helped with 10 boards and registered a triple-double.

Without Lorient, guard Chance Moore made his first start. Moore averaged 12.3 points per game before the contest and took advantage of his time as the starter. He played a role in the first-half surge, finding a lot of success on the inside. Moore led WVU with 17 points on seven for 13 shooting in his first start.

“For his first start, he was good, man,” Hodge said. “I thought he did a good job defensively. I was pleased with that.”

With Moore’s help and WVU being on the better end of some bad shooting from both teams, the Mountaineers were ahead for most of the first half, and were up 19-15 at one point.

“I loved the start,” Hodge said. “I thought we came in here for the first time in a road environment against a top team, and we were clean and crisp.”

Then, Iowa State’s shots started falling, and it came in waves. The Cyclones went on a 13-2 run towards the end of the half. Jamarion Batemon knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, and Buchanan had his way on the inside. Iowa State closed out the half strong and led 41-28.

From there, WVU’s defense kind of broke down, and at one point, Ross Hodge showed visible frustration after Momcilovic hit his sixth three.

It didn’t help that the Mountaineers’ top scorers weren’t getting anything to go. Guard Honor Huff was chucking up 3-pointers and made one to open the game, but finished with six points and shot one-for-eight from deep. Center Harlan Obioha had two points and had a long night on the glass.

“I thought Honor had a couple clean looks,” Hodge said. “As clean of a look as he’s going to get in this type of environment, but just couldn’t get them to go down.”

WVU doesn’t have any time to dwell on the loss. The Mountaineers host Cincinnati on Jan. 6, which is a couple of days before hosting Kansas. The Big 12 play for WVU is in full force and felt the full power in its first game.