LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For a few minutes Saturday night, the impossible seemed possible.

Iowa State, a No. 8 seed and a team hardly anyone across the country picked to win, had tied the nation’s best team — No. 1 overall seed Kentucky — at 42-42 with 16:28 remaining in the game.

But a 20-2 run in which the Cyclones (23-11, 10-6 Big 12) failed to make a field goal ended any hope of that. Iowa State never recovered and was eliminated from the 2012 NCAA tournament with an 87-71 loss to Kentucky at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

“I think it was just a matter of they hit tough shots,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “They hit shots going down at the end of the shot clock, they did everything they had to do.

“I didn’t think we panicked, I just thought it was more about them. They played so well tonight, and [Kentucky coach John Calipari] says that’s as good as they can play. And when that team plays as good as they can play, it’s going to be tough to beat them.”

Coming into the game, it was a general consensus that Iowa State would have to shoot well from 3-point range to get an upset victory. What came to fruition was a nightmare for the Cyclones, as they shot 13.6 percent from beyond the arc for the game.

In contrast, the Wildcats (34-2, 16-0 SEC) showed why millions of bracket predictors had this team winning the national championship. Kentucky hit 10-of-20 3-pointers, including 6-of-7 in the second half (85.7 percent).

Guard Bubu Palo attributed Iowa State’s shooting woes to Kentucky’s size — the Wildcats’ shortest starter is guard Marquis Teague at 6 feet 2 inches — and its ability to contest shots.

“They have great length, so I feel like that might’ve affected us a little bit,” Palo said. “A couple of those shots we just rushed because we were worried about their length and contesting those shots. We just needed to calm down a little bit, get our feet set and just shoot that ball with confidence.”

Senior guard Chris Allen, who ends his collegiate career having played in 16 NCAA tournament games, also said he thought the shooters were hurrying the release of their shots from 3-point range.

Allen, who finished with 16 points, went 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. In addition, the enormity of the moment, Allen said, could’ve affected the Cyclones.

“I felt like a lot of guys, we were just rushing our shots a little bit,” Allen said. “Of course, that adrenaline and that atmosphere, it was a crazy one. It happens like that sometimes.”

Maybe the most indicative of the downward spiral for Iowa State during the 20-2 Kentucky run came with 11:35 left in the game. Hoiberg, who is well-known for being relatively calm and collected on the sidelines, let loose on official Sean Corbin after forward Royce White committed a turnover, and it wasn’t called as a foul on the Wildcats.

The second-year coach was whistled for his first-ever technical foul — as a coach or player at Iowa State — for arguing the call.

“I was just upset with the play,” Hoiberg said when asked if the technical was a tactical move to spark an ISU run. “I probably deserved a few more [before tonight], it just happened to come tonight. It’s part of the game. It was just a matter of time.”

White all but blamed himself for the technical. The forward said his style of play has led to some calls his coach hasn’t agreed with throughout the season, and is bound to lead to arguments with officials over the correct call.

“He’s kept his cool all year; it’s tough to officiate the way I play, especially since I play kind of unorthodox,” White said. “He’s held in a lot this year in that way. Eventually he was going to get one.”

After all the made 3-pointers and argued calls, one thing was unanimous from ISU players and their coach: Kentucky was the better team on the night.

Guard Scott Christopherson, who ended his collegiate career as Iowa State’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage (44.3 percent), too pointed to the Wildcats’ size and defensive prowess as the reason they won and could keep winning.

“They’re so long and athletic,” Christopherson said. “They played an outstanding game. They’re one of the best defensive, if not the best defensive team in the country with their length and athleticism. You’ve got to give them credit.”