AMES, Iowa — The Iowa State men's basketball team received their Big 12 Championship rings Monday, months after beating No. 1 Houston 69-41 on March 16.
The victory by 28 points was the largest win over an AP No. 1 ranked team in college basketball history, and it marked the fifth championship in the last 10 seasons for ISU.
The rings don't just denote the team's accomplishment, they also make references to the team's journey to winning the championship.
Chief among these are two references to a game the team would play together on road trips throughout the season. That game, "Among Us," was extremely popular at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the team used the game to bond.
The two inscriptions which include both the image of a "crewmate" and the line "Send code," a phrase the team members would say before beginning a new "Among Us" match, are etched into the inside of the ring.
The detail garnered attention from the official "Among Us" X account.
During the 2023-2024 basketball season, the Cyclones would go 18-0 at Hilton Coliseum, 3-0 at "Hilton South" in the Jayhawk's Kansas City and 2-0 at "Hilton West" in Omaha which correlates with the "23-0" inscription also on the inside of the ring.
A "29 Wins" etching appears on the inside of the ring as well to reflect Iowa State's spectacular 29-7 season.
Other details include a "Sweet Sixteen" written on one side to acknowledge Iowa State's seventh appearance at that level of competition and the second by head coach T.J. Otzelberger. In addition, the word "Champions" appears on the opposite side of the ring to represent the Big 12 Championship title.
Besides each player's number and name on their ring along with the championship score, each ring is crowned with the "Dribbling Cy" logo which was introduced in 1974 and worn through the 1990's.
The ISU men's basketball team will open their season Nov. 4 at Hilton against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils.
Editor's Note: The video below originally aired March 16, 2024.
