Completed Event: Men's Basketball at #23 BYU on February 21, 2026 , Loss , 69, to, 79
Final
Men's Basketball
69
#23 BYU
79
Iowa State University Athletics
Sunday, March 22
St. Louis, Mo.
1:45 PM
Iowa State
vs
Kentucky
Photo by: Jeff Spaur
Round of 32 Primer: No. 6 Iowa State vs. Kentucky
03.21.2026 | Men's Basketball
Who: [2] Iowa State (28-7, 12-6 Big 12) vs. [7] Kentucky (22-13, 10-8 SEC)
Where: Enterprise Center (18,096) – St. Louis, Mo.
When: Sunday, March 22, 2026 – 1:45 p.m. CT
Watch: CBS // Spero Dedes (PxP), Jim Spanarkel (Analyst) & Jon Rothstein (Reporter)
Listen: Cyclone Radio Network // John Walters (PxP) & Eric Heft (Analyst)
Tipping Off: In the 25th NCAA Tournament in school history, No. 6 Iowa State looks to make its eighth Sweet 16 in program history and the third under Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger. This will be the third meeting in the second round of the NCAA Tournament between the Cyclones and Wildcats, as Kentucky beat Iowa State in the 1992 and 2012 NCAA Tournament Second Rounds.
Iowa State enters round two after a 34-point, opening-round win over 15-seeded Tennessee State. The Cyclones' 108 points scored set a program-high for an NCAA tournament game.
Kentucky enters round two coming off a dramatic win over Santa Clara in the opening round of the tournament. A game-tying buzzer beater would send things to overtime as UK came out victorious with an 89-84 win.
Storylines:
- Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 51 straight weeks, the fourth-longest streak in the nation. It is the second-longest streak in the Big 12 behind Houston's 125, which is the longest streak in the country.
- The Cyclones and Cougars are the only two Big 12 schools to have streaks of at least 30 weeks.
- In five seasons under Coach Otzelberger, the Cyclones have been known for their defense, as they have ranked as a top-15 unit in the country each year, and 2025-26 is no different (according to KenPom defensive rating).
- The Cyclones had three players honored in the Big 12 postseason awards. Joshua Jefferson was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, Milan Momcilovic to the Second Team, and Tamin Lipsey earned All-Defensive, Second Team and Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
- Joshua Jefferson has recorded two triple-doubles this season, tied for the most in the country.
- He has been named a finalist for the Karl Malone award.
- Jefferson became the first player in program history to have multiple triple-doubles in a career.
- He is just the third Big 12 player with multiple triple-doubles, but is the first to accomplish both in conference games.
- Jefferson has earned multiple All-American honors after the regular season's conclusion, most notably being named a Second Team AP All-American.
- Milan Momcilovic has been the nation's best marksman this season, as the junior leads the country in 3-point percentage.
- He has been named a finalist for the Julius Erving award.
- Momcilovic has six 25-plus point games so far this season for ISU.
- Tamin Lipsey holds the most steals in program history and is in the top three in Big 12 history for career steals.
- Â He holds the most wins against Big 12 opponents by any active player.
From the Notes:
- As a head coach, Otz is 222-115 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 123-52 record over the last four years.
- He earned his 100th win at Iowa State against HOF coach Rick Pitino and No. 14 St. John's in the Players Era Championship opener on Nov. 24.
- He then earned his 200th win over his mentor and former head coach Greg McDermott on Nov. 25.
- His 118 wins are the most in the first five years in ISU history.
- Otz is the quickest coach in school history to 100 career wins, doing so in 145 games.
- With its Big 12 Tournament win over No. 16 Texas Tech, Iowa State now has 30 wins over top 25 teams since Otzelberger took over (2021-22). That is the fifth-most in the nation during that stretch.
- Otz has led Iowa State to four 20-plus win seasons, joining Orr (5) and Hoiberg (4) as the only ISU coaches to do so four-plus times.
- Iowa State has won 25 or more games for just the seventh time in program history.
- Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- He was the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to take a team to the Sweet 16 twice in his first three years on the job.
- In five postseason appearances, Otzelberger has six NCAA Tournament wins – the most by any coach in program history.
- Otz currently holds the school's highest winning percentage by a head coach.
- The Cyclones are ranked No. 6 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 6 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 6 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
Switching Sides:
- This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Kentucky and Iowa State and the third in the NCAA Tournament. UK holds a 3-0 series lead.
- The Wildcats are one of four programs ISU has played at least three times and never beaten, and are one of 29 schools ISU has faced without defeating.
- This marks the first time UK has earned a No. 7 seed. Kentucky is in search of its 50th Sweet 16 appearance in program history.
- Kentucky played a nation-leading 19 games against the 2026 NCAA Tournament field. According to both KenPom and the NET, UK played the sixth-toughest schedule in the country through conference tournaments.
- There are only five teams in the country that have five or more KenPom top 20 wins and only one or fewer losses outside of the KenPom top 40: Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, and Michigan.
- Kentucky has played 10 games this season which have been decided by two possessions or fewer. UK is 7-3 in such games after winning a come-from-behind five-point win over Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament's opening round.
- Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope is in his second year at the helm of the Wildcat program. Pope started his head coaching career at Utah Valley (2015-19) before heading to BYU (2019-24).
- Pope has faced the Cyclones twice before, going 1-1 during his time at the head of the BYU program.
- Pope, a captain of the University of Kentucky's 1996 National Championship team, returned to Lexington as the 23rd head coach of Kentucky's storied men's basketball program in April of 2024.
- Pope will look to take the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season.
- The Wildcats are ranked No. 28 in the NET. Kentucky is No. 27 in KenPom and No. 22 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballTSU Post-Game vs. ISU
Friday, March 20
Iowa State Post-Game vs. Tennessee State (NCAA First Round)
Friday, March 20
Iowa State Previews Tennessee State (NCAA First Round)
Thursday, March 19
Tennessee State Previews Iowa State (NCAA First Round)
Thursday, March 19
