AUBURNHILLS, Mich. — Iowa State center Kelvin Cato led the Cyclones to a 69-57 victory over Illinois State in the first round of the NCAA tournament last week with a career high 29 points and 12 rebounds. Cato also added a Midwest Regional record eight blocked shots.

Cato, a 6-11 senior, was able to dominate the paint due to a considerable size advantage over Illinois State center LeRoy Watkins, who is 6-7. “I’ve played against 6-7 guys before and I’ve had success,” Cato said.

In a game that saw the lead change hands 15 times, the Cyclones found themselves down 15-4 with just after the six-minute mark.

Iowa State Head Coach Tim Floyd said his decision to press the Red Birds from tipoff was the reason the Cyclones fell so far behind. “I don’t know what I was thinking about,” Floyd said.

“I was thinking that this was their first time in the NCAA tournament and maybe they would have some nerves.”

Iowa State settled back into its normal defensive strategy and started to play better.

A steal and layup by Cyclone guard Dedric Willoughby made the score 15-6. That started the ‘Clones on an 18-5 run that gave Iowa State a 22-20 lead with 6:17 left in the half.

Cato went to the free-throw line with 5:12 left and hit both to give the Cyclones a 24-22 lead.

The Red Birds jumped right back to take a 26-24 lead on a jump-shot by guard Jamar Smiley.

Cyclone forward Shawn Bankhead knocked down his first shot of the game to tie it at 26-26 with 3:12 to play. Iowa State took a 28-26 lead into halftime on a Willoughby jump shot.

The second half was a see-saw battle with both teams taking turns at the lead. Illinois State took the lead on a three-pointer by forward Rico Hill, but the Cyclones answered back with a Cato layup that put Iowa State ahead 30-29.

From the beginning of the second half to the 6:31 mark when the game was tied at 50-50, the lead had changed hands eight times, but neither team led by more than four points.

It was at this point that Cato’s contributions were apparent. He scored seven straight points, four of which came on thunderous two-handed dunks.

Two free throws by Willoughby made it 62-53 with 1:06 left. Willoughby added another pair of free throws to make it 69-57, the final score.

Despite a good second half by Cato, in which he scored 20 of his 29 points, he said it wasn’t his best all-around effort.

“This may have been my best game scoring wise, but I think I’ve played better defensively,” Cato said.

Iowa State’s second-round match was exactly the type of game that makes the NCAA Tournament one of the greatest college sporting events around.

The Cyclones’ 67-66 victory over Cincinnati was a nail-biter all the way down to a missed jump-shot by Bearcat guard Damon Flint that would have clinched it for Cincinnati.

Kenny Pratt was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points.

“I was looking for a big night out of myself,” Pratt said.

Along with Pratt’s MVP performance came the always-reliable play of ISU guards Willoughby and Jacy Holloway. Willoughby scored the first three points of the game with a shot from beyond the arc and started the Cyclones’ offense.

Willoughby finished with 19 points, going 5-for-8 from three-point range.

Holloway scored 11 points, all in the first half, and dished out six assists while running the Cyclone offense at a pace that helped ISU control the tempo of the game.

A key to the Cyclone victory was the defensive effort required to guard Cincinnati center Danny Fortson. Cato was occupied with Fortson for much of the game and only managed to score six points. ISU held Fortson, who averaged 21.4 points and 9.2 rebounds during the season, to a season low three rebounds.

The Cyclones had one man in front of Fortson and one man in back of him at all times in an attempt to disrupt his inside scoring.

When Cato fell into foul trouble in the second half, forwards Klay Edwards and Stevie Johnson came in and played solid minutes.

“That was the first time someone has played that tight against me,” Fortson said.

Edwards filled in under the basket when Cato was on the bench.

The Bearcats had one last chance to run a play with 11 seconds left in the game, but the Cyclones denied the ball to Fortson and came away with a tough rebound to win the game.

For the first time since 1986 the Cyclones will go to the Sweet 16. They face UCLA Thursday night in San Antonio.