# 1956–57 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team

The 1956–57 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1956–57 NCAA men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Bill Strannigan, who was in his third season with the Cyclones. They played their home games at the Iowa State Armory in Ames, Iowa.
They finished the season 16–7, 6–6 in Big Seven play to finish in third place. Gary Thompson won Big Seven Player of the Year, edging out Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas. Iowa State also picked up their first ever win over a top ranked team, defeating Kansas, 39–37.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| December 1, 1956* 8:00 pm | | at Michigan State | W 60–53 | 1–0 | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, Michigan |
| December 3, 1956* 7:35 pm | | Houston | W 92–73 | 2–0 | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| December 6, 1956* 7:35 pm | | BYU | W 57–48 | 3–0 | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| December 14, 1956* 8:00 pm | No. 17 | at Texas Tech | W 63–62 | 4–0 | Lubbock Municipal Coliseum Lubbock, Texas |
| December 15, 1956* 7:30 pm | No. 17 | at Tulsa | W 72–52 | 5–0 | Expo Square Pavilion Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| December 22, 1956* 8:00 pm | No. 14 | Wyoming | W 85–57 | 6–0 | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| December 26, 1956* 9:30 pm | No. 14 | vs. No. 1 Kansas Big Seven Holiday Tournament Quarterfinals | L 57–58 | 6–1 | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| December 28, 1956* 2:00 pm | No. 14 | vs. Kansas State Big Seven Holiday Tournament Consolation Semifinals | W 74–64 | 7–1 | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| December 29, 1956* 4:00 pm | No. 14 | vs. Nebraska Big Seven Holiday Tournament Fifth Place | W 89–69 | 8–1 | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| January 7, 1957 8:00 pm | No. 7 | at Missouri | L 59–77 | 8–2 (0–1) | Brewer Fieldhouse Columbia, Missouri |
| January 11, 1957 8:15 pm | No. 7 | at Drake Iowa Big Four | W 97–71 | 9–2 | Drake Fieldhouse Des Moines, Iowa |
| January 14, 1957 7:35 pm, WOI | No. 7 | No. 1 Kansas | W 39–37 | 10–2 (1–1) | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| January 19, 1957 7:35 pm | No. 9 | Oklahoma | W 74–54 | 11–2 (2–1) | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| January 24, 1957 7:35 pm, WOI | No. 3 | Missouri | L 66–69 $^{OT}$ | 11–3 (2–2) | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| January 28, 1957 7:35 pm | No. 3 | at Oklahoma | W 67–56 | 12–3 (3–2) | OU Fieldhouse Norman, Oklahoma |
| February 2, 1957 7:35 pm, WOI/WMT/KVTV/WDAF | No. 8 | at No. 2 Kansas | L 64–75 | 12–4 (3–3) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas |
| February 4, 1957 7:35 pm | No. 8 | Colorado | W 72–71 | 13–4 (4–3) | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| February 7, 1957* 7:35 pm | No. 9 | Drake Iowa Big Four | W 92–71 | 14–4 | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| February 11, 1957 9:05 pm | No. 9 | at Colorado | L 52–59 | 14–5 (4–4) | Balch Fieldhouse Boulder, Colorado |
| February 16, 1957 7:35 pm | No. 9 | Nebraska | W 59–47 | 15–5 (5–4) | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| February 23, 1957 7:35 pm | No. 9 | at No. 17 Kansas State | L 77–86 $^{OT}$ | 15–6 (5–5) | Ahearn Fieldhouse Manhattan, Kansas |
| March 2, 1957 7:35 pm, WOI | No. 16 | No. 12 Kansas State | W 69–67 $^{OT}$ | 16–6 (6–5) | Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa |
| March 9, 1957 8:00 pm | No. 17 | Nebraska | L 58–67 | 16–7 (6–6) | Nebraska Coliseum Lincoln, Nebraska |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||