Updated at 3:14 a.m. CST March 14

After standing along the back wall for the last three years, the ISU men’s basketball team has finally been asked to dance.

The Cyclones will make their way to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001, taking on Minnesota at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Charlotte, N.C. in the first round of the Big Dance. Ticket information can be found here.

“We’re feeling great,” freshman Tasheed Carr said. “We knew as a team we had done enough to get in. We didn’t care who we played or where we played. We don’t care about any of that. We’re just going to work hard and get ready for the game.”

Iowa State drew a No. 9 seed from the NCAA selection committee, placing it in the Syracuse Regional.

“I can’t emphasize how proud I am of our club,” ISU coach Wayne Morgan said. “They stuck together all year. They have gone through a lot of adversity. They have earned this.”

The Cyclones are 10-16 all-time against Minnesota but haven’t played the Gophers since 1993.

“Playing these type of tournaments, no team can prepare as much as they want,” Carr said. “These games are all about what team wants it more and who will take it. It’s up to us going into the game to play hard and come out with a win.”

Minnesota finished the regular season tied for fourth in the Big 10 with Indiana, then beat the Hoosiers in the first round of their conference tournament. The Golden Gophers have 21 wins on the season, but only one has been over a ranked team.

Should the Cyclones advance through the first round, they would most likely face No. 1 seed North Carolina. The Tar Heels play the winner of Tuesday’s Oakland/Alabama A&M opening-round game in the first round.

Iowa State holds an 18-11 overall record, with wins over five ranked teams, including then-No. 2 Kansas. They won their opening round game in the Big 12 tournament before falling to Texas Tech.

After starting the conference schedule with five consecutive losses, the Cyclones came on strong, winning seven in a row and 10 of their final 13.

“We never gave up,” Carr said. “The losses only made us stronger — what can’t kill you can only make you stronger. We’re a better team, we’re better people, and we’re better players (because of the losses). Anything can happen, and we fought back, and now we’re in the tournament.”

Carr said a number of events helped Iowa State punch its Big Dance ticket.

“It was a mix of things,” Carr said. “Those seven wins can’t hurt you at all, and the win over Kansas was huge. We had huge wins coming down the stretch with the last game against Colorado.

“But the Kansas win helped a whole lot.”

Iowa State last made it to the NCAA tournament in 2001. The Cyclones had advanced to the Elite Eight the season before and were a No. 2 seed ranked 10th in the nation. No. 15 seed Hampton beat the Cyclones in the first round 58-57, and the team hasn’t made it back to the Big Dance since.

The Big 12 is sending six teams to the tournament and claim a No. 2 seed and two No. 3s. Oklahoma State won the conference tournament and is the second-ranked team in the Chicago region. Kansas and Oklahoma are three seeds. Texas Tech has a sixth seed, and Texas holds an eight seed.

In-state rivals Iowa and Northern Iowa also were given tickets to the Big Dance. The Hawkeyes are a 10 seed in the Austin bracket and will play No. 7 Cincinnati. Northern Iowa was given an 11 seed and faces No. 6 Wisconsin in the Syracuse bracket.

“I think it’s great,” Morgan said. “Everybody around the state can be celebrating and can follow their teams, and, hopefully, we all do well.”

Illinois, North Carolina, Duke and Washington were the four teams given No. 1 seeds.

“All the brackets are tough, and all the teams in the tournament are tough,” Morgan said. “It does not matter who you play, because every game is going to be tough. The bottom line is to survive and move on.”