Ron Smith is the ISU Director of Basketball Operations. The team’s official uniform colors are cardinal and gold and their mascot is Cy the Cardinal. The 1983-84 team recorded the first winning season since Lynn Nance's 1977-78 team finished 14-13 with a 16-13 overall mark and a 6-8 record in conference play. The Cyclones played in the National Invitation Tournament, losing to Marquette in the first round. The 1988-89 Cyclones finished the season 17-12 overall and 7-7 in conference play, including a victory over the 3rd-ranked Missouri Tigers in Hilton Coliseum, and advanced to their fourth NCAA Tournament under Johnny Orr, losing 84-74 to the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins in the first round.

The 1990-91 season saw the Cyclones finish with an overall record of 12-19 and a conference record of 6-8, and despite their poor overall performance, they managed wins over two ranked teams, number 12 Oklahoma State and number 21 Oklahoma. The 2002-03 Cyclones finished with a 17-14 overall record and a 5-11 conference record, and accepted an invitation to the NIT. They defeated Wichita State Shockers in the opening round, but fell 54-53 to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round. Jake Sullivan led the team in scoring with 17 points per game, and Jackson Vroman contributed 12.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.