Cyclones Set For Sweet 16 Showdown With Virginia

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AMES, Iowa - No. 22 and fourth-seeded Iowa State (22-11, 10-8 Big 12) plays its second Sweet 16 game in the last three years Friday night when it faces top-seeded Virginia (28-7, 13-5 ACC) at United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Where: Chicago, Ill. - United Center (21,223)
When: Friday, March 25, 6:10 p.m. (CDT)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield; Westwood One
Cyclone Radio Network Talent: John Walters (PxP), Eric Heft (Color)
Westwood One Talent: Gary Cohen (PxP), Jim Jackson (Color)
TV: CBS
Talent: Kevin Harlan (PxP), Reggie Miller (Color), Dan Bonner (Reporter), Lewis Johnson (Reporter)
Webcast: March Madness On Demand
Sirius/XM: 81/201
Live Stats: Available at NCAA.com
Tournament Central: For all the information you need, click here.

@CycloneMBB Notebook
- Iowa State, which is making its school-record fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, has earned its fifth trip to the Sweet 16...the Cyclones are hoping to earn their second-ever trip to the Elite Eight (2000).
- ISU has reached 20 wins for a school-record five consecutive seasons...ISU posted double-digit Big 12 wins for the fifth consecutive season, also a school record.
- The Cyclones are ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll...the Cyclones have been ranked in a school-record 56 consecutive polls, the third-longest streak in the nation (Kansas, Arizona)...ISU is No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- ISU has won 22 games against ranked opponents the last three seasons, which is second nationally in that time.
- ISU's top six rotation all earned awards from the Big 12: Georges Niang (1st Team), Monté Morris (2nd), Jameel McKay (HM), Abdel Nader (HM) and Matt Thomas (HM) earned All-Big 12 honors...Deonte Burton was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a member of the all-newcomer team.
- ISU has had seven different players score 20 or more points...ISU, which looks to lead the Big 12 in scoring for the fourth consecutive season, has the third-best scoring offense among tournament teams (82.1)...ISU is third nationally and second among tourney teams shooting 50.3 percent from the field...ISU is shooting 53 percent from field and 48.8 percent behind the arc in the NCAA Tournament.
- Niang, ISU's first two-time All-American, is leading the Cyclones with 20.2 points per game, which is second among Big 12 players...his 2,198 career points rank third in ISU history and are fifth in Big 12 history...Niang is averaging 28 points per game in this year's NCAA Tournament and needs just six points to break Dedric Willoughby's record of 123 points in tournament play...he has scored in double figures in 43 consecutive games, including 20 or more points 16 times this season...Niang is just the fourth Division I player since 1994-95 to record 2,000 points, 700 rebounds and 400 assists...he is the winningest player in school history (98 wins).
- Niang, a Wooden Award and Karl Malone Award finalist, is the only player nationally averaging 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 50 percent on field goals and 80 percent at the line...only 23 players (29 times) have done this since 1994-95...he'd be the first since Creighton's Doug McDermott (2013-14)...with 185 3-pointers made, Niang needs just five made threes to match Willoughby for third on ISU's career made 3-pointers list.
- Morris, in the Final 5 for the Bob Cousy Award, is leading the Big 12 in assists (6.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4.2)...Morris already owns two of the top-three A/TO ratios in NCAA history and is third nationally this season...he is on pace to break Jeff Hornacek's single-season assist per game mark of 6.8...he is the fourth Cyclone to dish out 200 assists in a season and needs 11 dimes to tie Jamaal Tinsley's single-season record (241)...12 assists, two turnovers in NCAA Tournament.
- Nader is averaging 15.4 points in the last nine games...he has hit 25 3-pointers in that stretch (45.5%), including three games with five threes made...in the first 25 games, Nader made 26 3-pointers (31.3 percent 3FG%).
- Thomas has hit a 3-pointer in 24 consecutive games, which is the third-longest streak in school history...he is second in the Big 12 averaging 2.6 threes made per game and is shooting 43.3 percent from behind the arc (fourth in Big 12)...ISU is 13-2 when Thomas scores at least 12 points as a starter.
- In three career NCAA Tournament games, McKay has posted 9.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks...in the last six games, McKay is grabbing 10.7 rebounds per contest.

Iowa State Quick Hitters
- ISU has been to a school-record five consecutive NCAA Tournaments...this is its second Sweet 16 appearance in the last three seasons.
- The Cyclones have won two of the last three Big 12 Tournament titles.
- ISU has won 20 games for a school-record fifth consecutive season...Steve Prohm has won at least 20 games in each of his five seasons as a head coach...among current Big 12 coaches, only he and Texas coach Shaka Smart accomplished that in their first five years as a head coach.
- The Cyclones have won at least 10 league games in each of the last five seasons, which is a school record.
- ISU has won 34 regular season home games in a row against nonconference opponents...the Cyclones have won 32 of their last 35 games at home, including 18 of 21 league games.
- ISU led the Big 12 with six players honored when the league's annual awards were announced.
- Morris (38.0) leads the Big 12 and is among the nation's top-five in minutes played...the last Cyclone to average more than 38 minutes per game was Dedric Willoughby (38.2) during the 1995-96 season...Morris is on pace to lead the Big 12 in minutes played in back-to-back seasons...he'd be the first player to do that since Jarius Jackson (Texas Tech, 2006 & 2007)...in Big 12 play he averaged 39.9 minutes per game, logging 718 of a possible 735 minutes.
- Morris, who has played nine complete games this season, will be making his 86th consecutive start, tying for the fifth-longest streak in school history (Jake Sullivan).
- ISU has topped the 100-point plateau twice this season...it is the first time the Cyclones have done it twice in a season since the 2000-01 season...ISU had a streak earlier this season of seven games in a row with 83 or more points, the second-longest run in school history.
- Iowa State's 82.1 points per game are the third-most of any team in the tournament field.
- ISU has led the Big 12 in scoring the last three years and is trying to join Kansas (2000-03) as the only teams to lead the league four consecutive seasons.
- The Cyclones have shot better than their opponent in 27 of 34 games...the Cyclones are 20-7 in those games...ISU has been at or above 50 percent in 20 games.
- In the second half of the last 12 games, ISU is shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 42.2 percent behind the arc, while averaging 44.0 points...in four of the 11 games, ISU has shot 64 percent or better in the second half...during that stretch, Niang is averaging 11.9 points and shooting 64.8 percent in the second half.
- ISU is 19-2 this season when holding opponents under 80 points and just 4-9 when allowing 80 or more points...ISU is 19-3 when leading at halftime.
- The Cyclones shot 40.7 percent behind the arc in conference play, which was third in the league....ISU shot 35.1 percent behind the arc in non-league games.
- The Cyclones have made 10 or more threes in eight of the last 12 games.
- Iowa State's 50.3 field goal percentage is the third-best in school history...the Cyclones are trying to become the first Big 12 team since Missouri in 2011-12 to shoot over 50 percent from the field...ISU's 50.2 percent from the field in conference games was the fourth-best in league history.
- ISU has the second-best field-goal percentage of anyone in the NCAA Tournament field (Indiana).
- The Cyclones average 38.7 points in the paint.
- ISU has had less turnovers than its opponent in all but 14 games...the Cyclones have a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, including 2.0 in tournament play.
- In the last three games, Niang is averaging 29.0 points and shooting 59.3 percent from the field.
- Niang ranks eighth in the Big 12 in rebounding this season (6.2 rpg)...he had only ranked among the Big 12's top-20 rebounders his junior season (17th).
- Niang is one of 25 players since 1996-97 to have three seasons averaging at least 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
- Niang leads the Cyclones with 114 career double-figure scoring games (in 137 games...83.2 percent of his games played)...Niang has career-best 43 consecutive games with 10 or more points...his last game with fewer than 10 points was Feb. 18, 2015 against Oklahoma State (9 points).
- Niang has made 91-of-112 free throws this season...since the start of his junior season, Niang has been an 81.0 percent free-throw shooter...he's a career 76.4 percent shooter.
- Niang has hit a three in 28 of 34 games this season.
- Niang is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top-10 in scoring, rebounding and assists.
- Niang averaged 20.0 points in league games, becoming the first Cyclone since Craig Brackins (21.8 ppg, 2009) to average more than 20 points in Big 12 play.
- Niang shot 54.0 percent from the field in Big 12 play...he is the fifth player in league history to average 20 points and shoot 54 percent from the field (Blake Griffin, OU; Andre Emmett, TTU; Marcus Fizer, ISU; Raef LaFrentz, KU).
- Niang is one of just three players averaging 20 points and shooting at least 60 percent on 2-point field goal attempts...in the last five years, Niang and Doug McDermott are the only players from one of the top-six leagues to average 20 points and shoot 60 percent or better on 2-point field goals.
- Niang is just the fourth player since 1994-95 to record 2,000 points, 700 rebounds and 400 assists...the others were former teammate DeAndre Kane, Ricky Minard (Morehead State) and Julius Hodge (NC State).
- Iowa State has outrebounded three of its last six opponents after not outrebounding an opponent the previous 10 games.
- ISU is shooting 56.6 percent on 2-point field goals, which is fifth nationally and best among NCAA Tournament teams.
- ISU is fifth nationally averaging just 15.4 personal fouls per game.
- In the last eight games, Nader and Niang are combining for 38.5 points, or 47.3 percent of the team's points...Niang is shooting 60.7 percent from the floor in that time...he has shot 70 percent or better in four of the last nine games.
- Morris has 543 assists and 122 turnovers in 104 career games...ISU is 47-12 when Morris has at least five assists.
- ISU is 28-7 in the last three seasons when Morris and Niang combine for 10 or more assists.
- Burton has hit more threes this season (17) than he hit his freshman (4) and sophomore (4) seasons combined at Marquette.
- Morris has at least one steal in 58 of the last 63 games, including 30 of 34 this season...he's second in the Big 12 this season with 1.8 steals per game.
- Morris has 11 career games with 10 or more assists...his assist-to-turnover ratio in those games is 7.4 (118 assists/16 turnovers).
- McKay has 114 blocks in 56 career games, which includes 36 games with at least two blocks.
- McKay has grabbed double-digit rebounds in 14 games this season...he is trying to become the first Cyclone since Melvin Ejim in 2013 to average 9.0 rebounds per game.
- McKay is just the fifth Cyclone (six times) since 1990 to grab 100 offensive rebounds in a season.
- McKay has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 45 of 56 career games...he is a 59.4 percent field goal shooter in his career, which ranks second in ISU history.
- Thomas has six or more rebounds in 13 games this season after having six or more boards just three times in his first two seasons.
- Thomas has hit three or more 3-pointers in 18 of the last 27 games, including 12 of the last 17...since Jan. 18, he's averaged 2.8 3-pointers made a game...in the first seven games of the season he was 9-for-26 (34.6 percent).
- Thomas has hit a three in 24 consecutive games...Thomas has made 31 of his last 33 free-throw attempts.
- Since Thomas moved into the starting lineup, ISU is 13-2 when he scores 12 or more points and 2-10 when he scores 11 or fewer points.
- In the last three years, ISU is 29-15 in February and March, which includes an 13-6 record in March.

Series Notes vs. Virginia...
- Iowa State and Virginia are meeting for the fourth time...ISU owns a 2-1 edge in the series...Virginia won the first meeting, but ISU has won two straight...this will be the first time the schools have met at a neutral site and in the NCAA Tournament...this will be ISU's 12th top-25 showdown this season, the second most in a single season in school history.
- This is Steve Prohm's first meeting with Virginia and its head coach Tony Bennett...Bennett is 0-1 all-time coaching against the Cyclones.
- The last meeting between the schools came on Dec. 30, 2010...the Cyclones won that game, 60-47, in Charlottesville...Jamie Vanderbeken hit 5-of-8 threes and scored 24 points for the Cyclones in the win.
- ISU is just 5-16 all-time against teams from the ACC, but 6-2 against current ACC teams since 2003-04...the Cyclones have won their last two meetings against ACC foes (this year against Virginia Tech and 2014 NCAA Tournament against North Carolina).

Last Time Out - Cyclones Beat Little Rock In Second Round
- Iowa State earned its second Sweet 16 berth in the last three seasons with a dominant, 78-61 win against Little Rock in the second round last Saturday.
- The Cyclones shot 56.6 percent from the field and 60 percent behind the arc in the win...the Cyclones connected on 11-of-21 threes, with Thomas (4) and Niang (3) hitting seven of the 11 triples.
- Niang continued his impressive play, scoring 28 points for the second consecutive game...the senior was 11-for-18 from the field and 3-of-5 behind the arc...Thomas finished with 16 points as the only other Cyclone in double figures.

Iowa State NCAA Tournament History
- Iowa State is playing in its 18th NCAA Tournament in school history as a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region...the Cyclones are playing a tournament game in Chicago for the first time after landing in Denver for the first time last week.
- Iowa State is 18-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament...Steve Prohm is the seventh coach to lead Iowa State to the NCAA Tournament and just the second (Tim Floyd) to do it in his first season leading the program...among the big six conferences, only seven teams have had more coaches lead their team to the tournament (UCLA 10; Utah 9; Kansas State 9; USC 9; Marquette 8; Ohio State 8; Texas 8).
- Iowa State is a No. 4 seed for the first time in school history and is a top-4 seed for the third season in a row...the highest seed ISU has ever earned is a No. 2 seed (2000 and 2001).
- Iowa State is 0-3 all-time against No. 1 seeds (Michigan State, 2000; North Carolina, 2005; Kentucky, 2012)...all three were the number one overall seeds and went on to win the national title...all three games were played in the opponent's home state.
- ISU is 10-5 while playing in the Midwest Region in NCAA Tournament play...the Cyclones are 1-3 all-time in regional semifinal games.
- Iowa State has made five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) for the first time in school history...10 schools have made the tourney from 2012-16.
- The farthest the Cyclones have advanced in the NCAA Tournament is the Final Four in 1944.
- ISU, which was one of eight teams to qualify in 1944, won its first game vs. Pepperdine to advance to the semifinals.
- The farthest Iowa State has advanced in the NCAA Tournament since the current 64/65/68-team field, which began in 1985, is the Elite Eight in 2000.
- Iowa State has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen five times (1986, 1997, 2001, 2014, 2016), modern era Elite Eight once (2000) and the Final Four once (1944).
- The Cyclones have won their first game in nine of their last 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
- In three of ISU's last seven NCAA Tournament appearances, the Cyclones lost to the eventual national champion in their home state: Michigan State (2000, Auburn Hills, Mich.), North Carolina (2005, Charlotte, N.C.) and Kentucky (2012, Louisville, Ky.). In 2014, ISU lost to eventual national champion UCONN at Madison Square Garden.
- ISU has had two players lead the NCAA Tournament in scoring average (minimum three games played) during their respective careers...Dedric Willoughby averaged 24.7 ppg in 1997 (three games) and Marcus Fizer led all players in 2000 with a 20.0 ppg average in four games played.
- Individual NCAA Tournament records: Points- 34 by Dedric Willoughby (vs. UCLA in 1997), 34 by Lafester Rhodes (vs. Georgia Tech in 1988) 34 by Dustin Hogue (vs. UCONN in 2014); Rebounds- 20 by Jared Homan (vs. North Carolina in 2005); Assists- 11 by Jamaal Tinsley (vs. UCLA in 2000); Blocks- 8 by Kelvin Cato (vs. Illinois State in 1997); Field Goals- 15 by Dustin Hogue (vs. UCONN in 2014); 3-Pointers- 8 by Dedric Willoughby (vs. UCLA in 1997).
- The first time two teams from the same conference played in the NCAA Tournament in the same year was 1944 when ISU and Missouri from the Big Six were among the 8 teams chosen.

Iowa State Tournament Tidbits
- Iowa State is 11-11 against 15 teams that made the NCAA field this season: Buffalo (1-0); Colorado (1-0); Chattanooga (1-0); Iowa (1-0); UNI (0-1); Cincinnati (1-0); Oklahoma (1-2); Texas Tech (1-1); Baylor (0-2); Texas (1-1); Kansas (1-1); Texas A&M (0-1); West Virginia (0-2); Iona (1-0); Little Rock (1-0).
- 15 of ISU's 21 opponents advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
- Steve Prohm is one of seven Iowa State coaches (Louis Menze, Johnny Orr, Tim Floyd, Larry Eustachy, Wayne Morgan, Fred Hoiberg) to lead the Cyclones into the NCAA Tournament.
- Prohm is coaching in his second NCAA Tournament, owning a 3-1 record in four games...he also led Murray State to the tournament in 2011-12, where the Racers beat Colorado State (58-41) before losing to Marquette (63-52).
- Prohm is one of five coaches in the NCAA Tournament to win 20 games in each of his first five seasons (at any level) as head coach...the others are Shaka Smart (Texas), Jamie Dixon (Pitt), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse).
- ISU has six returning players who were on the 2015 Iowa State NCAA Tournament active roster.
- Niang is the first Iowa State player to play in four NCAA Tournaments.
- Niang joins Morris and Thomas as ISU leaders having played in six NCAA Tournament games...Niang is the leading scorer averaging 19.6 points in six tournament games...McKay has averaged 9.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in three tournament games...Morris has hit 9-of-14 threes in six tournament games...Thomas is 12-for-24 from long range in his six-game tournament career.
- Niang's 2013-14 season was cut short when he broke a bone in his foot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina Central...he scored 25 points in that game, including five after breaking the bone and before being diagnosed.

Cyclones Set For Sweet 16 Showdown With Virginia

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Cyclones Set For Sweet 16 Showdown With Virginia

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