SAN ANTONIO — Coming off of a Big 12 Championship title, it may seem easy for the No. 3-seeded Cyclones to overlook No. 14-seeded North Carolina Central.

But after hours and hours of studying the Eagles (28-5, 15-1 MEAC) on film, ISU coach Fred Hoiberg assured the media that wasn’t happening.

“You don’t win 20 in a row by accident,” Hoiberg said before his team’s shootaround Thursday afternoon. “I can promise you this: Our guys will not overlook this team. And if we do overlook it, we will not be playing on Sunday.”

The Cyclones return two players from last season’s NCAA tournament team that advanced to the round of 32 against No. 2-seeded Ohio State before being sent home by Aaron Craft’s buzzer-beating jumper over an outstretched Georges Niang — but for almost the entire team, it’s a new experience.

So, what do Melvin Ejim and Niang tell the players who haven’t played on a stage like this yet?

“Take it as another game. Yeah, it’s the bright lights, but you’ve been here before. You’ve played in championship games and a championship atmosphere,” Niang said, referring to the Big 12 Championship that took place less than a week ago. “You just have to calm down, prepare yourself and know you’re ready.”

Only a few hours into the first day of March Madness, there were already two instances where double-digit seeds upset single-digit seeds, with more than 10 games still left to play in during the night sessions across the country.

No. 12 Harvard beat No. 5 Cincinnati 61-57, sealing the game with free throws. It was only minutes later No. 11 Dayton sent No. 6 Ohio State home as Vee Sanford gave the Flyers the lead with 3.8 second left. Then, the Buckeyes’ Craft’s layup clanked out at the buzzer, leaving the senior laying under the bucket staring up at a rim that had betrayed him.

“You’ve got to play every game like it’s your last,” said Dustin Hogue, who as a junior is in the “Big Dance” for the first time. “Just because we’re a high seed doesn’t mean we’re going to win or it’s just going to be handed to us.

“We’ve already seen two teams go down who are really good and we don’t want to be one of those who are upset either.”

N.C. Central boasts a 20-game win streak on its way to the tournament, including a MEAC Championship. The young program, which is in only its third year of being considered Division I, is ranked as the fourth-most experienced team in the entire country, according to KenPom.

The Eagles are led by 6-foot-3 senior Jeremy Ingram, who was second in the MEAC in scoring with 20.6 points per game, shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc.

They led their conference in scoring offense at 73.9 points per game and scoring defense at 58.5 points per game, while seven players average at least 17 minutes per game, but has extended to a 10-man rotation in more than 60 percent of its games.

The Eagles have proven they are a threat to Iowa State, beating an NCAA tournament team in N.C. State 82-72 in overtime in November. In December, they were within single digits of No. 1-seeded Wichita State with three minutes to go before losing 77-66 — a game where Ingram threw in 37 points, including seven 3-pointers.

“We’re not taking anybody lightly,” Niang said. “We’re prepping for this team like we’d prep for a Kansas game. They’re a good team, they won 20 in a row.

“If you can win 20 in a row at the Division I level, you’re a serious talent, you’re a serious contender.”