However, the most intriguing game of the Sweet 16 might be Friday’s Midwest Region contest between #11 Iowa State and #10 Miami (FL). The Cyclones started 12-0, but finished 20-12 going into the tournament. In fact, Iowa State lost their last three games going into the Big Dance.
This is the second year in a row where four 10-seeded or lower teams advanced to the Sweet 16. The three years prior, only four teams combined advanced this far (1 in 2019, 2 in 2018 and 1 in 2017). This is the first time since 2016 where two double-digit teams met in a regional semifinal (#11 Gonzaga and #10 Syracuse).
The Cyclones were 4-7 against Top 25 teams and were 7-11 in the Big 12. Two of those losses were to Kansas by a combined 10 points. This is the same Kansas squad who is the lone #1 seed left in the tournament. Should Kansas lose to Providence, this will mark the first time in tournament history that the four top seeds failed to reach the Elite Eight, as teams were not seeded until 1978.
Iowa State was the last team from the Big 12 to make the tournament. Oklahoma finished with an identical 7-11 conference record, but an overall record of 19-16, earning a NIT bid instead. The fact that this squad was 2-22 last year (0-18 in conference play) and 5-18 in 2020 (5-13 in conference play) shows what a marvelous job has been done by first year head coach TJ Ozelberger.
After a 29-30 record in two years at UNLV, Otzelberger jumped from Las Vegas to Ames. Neither year did the Runnin’ Rebels qualify for a national postseason tournament. However, Otzelberger’s first head coaching gig at South Dakota State ended up with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2017 and 2018) and a NIT appearance (2019).
A win over Miami tonight gets Otzelberger some quality votes for National Coach of the Year. Should the Cyclones advance past this weekend, his name would be etched on the trophy before the tournament even concludes.
What is even more astonishing about Iowa State’s success this season is not only the head coach not being on staff this time a season ago, but both starting guards were not even enrolled at the school.
Senior Gabe Kalscheur was a transfer from Minnesota, while senior Izaiah Brockington is with the third school of his collegiate career. Kalscheur scored 22 points in the Cyclones upset win over Wisconsin on Sunday, while only averaging 9.5 points per game all season.
Brockington started at St. Bonaventure in 2017, transferred to Penn State in 2019 and is now in Ames. Having entered the NBA draft at Penn State, Brockington withdrew his name prior to the deadline and did not sign with an agent. This worked out better than he ever could have imagined, as he was named to the All Big-12 First Team and named conference Newcomer of the Year. Averaging 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game will surely do it.
Brockington also scored 30 against Xavier during the NIT Preseason Tip Off Tournament and 35 against West Virginia in late February. Kalscheur has been able to spell Brockington in the postseason, as the latter has struggled in two of their three games. Brockington was 3-16 from the field for seven points against Texas Tech in the Big 12 final, and was 4-15 for only 10 points against Wisconsin.
Iowa State is the first team in over 30 years to advance to the regional semifinals while scoring under 60 points in both games.
Tonight we get to see if a Cyclone can tighten down more than a Hurricane when a date in the eight is on the line.
-JC24