No. 1 Houston Puzzles CBB Fans with Blowout Loss to Iowa State in Big 12 Title Game

Houston dominated the Big 12 all season long on its way to a regular season title, but Iowa State spoiled the Cougars' first year in the conference with a 69-41 win in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on Saturday.

The loss was shocking given Houston's recent success. The Cougars cruised through the Big 12 tournament and were coming off an 82-59 win over Texas Tech on Friday. Just a week ago, Houston beat Kansas by 30 points.

On Saturday, the Cougars shot an abysmal 26.8 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from deep. Jamal Shead was the only Cougar in double digits on the night.

The rout from Iowa State stunned college basketball fans. The Cyclones have been great all season, but a dominant win over the No. 1 team in the country wasn't exactly expected.

Luckily for the Cougars, the poor performance came before the NCAA tournament rather than during it. It's likely Houston still gets a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, and the Cougars will be looking to bounce back quickly.

Iowa State made a statement with the win, putting the nation on notice heading into the tournament. The Cyclones haven't made it past the Sweet 16 since the 1999-2000 season, but they seem well-equipped to have a deep run this year.