Tonight is the night for the Cyclones. They will face the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa State has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 11 seasons and just the second time in school history.

The Cyclones made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with wins over 11th-seed Illinois State and third-seed Cincinnati.

The Cyclones’ 69-57 victory over the Redbirds of Illinois State came with a career game from ISU center Kelvin Cato. Cato scored a career- high 29 points, collected 12 rebounds and set a Midwest regional record with eight blocked shots.

“We’re going to the Sweet 16. You can’t ask for anything better,” Cato said.

Iowa State’s second-round matchup with the Bearcats was more hotly contested. With both teams having their turn at the lead, it was the performance of Cyclone forward Kenny Pratt that gave the Cyclones their final edge over Cincinnati, grabbing a 67-66 victory.

ISU guard Dedric Willoughby said he knows the Cyclones will need a team effort against the Bruins. “All the guys have been doing a great job. There is no selfishness on this team,” Willoughby said.

Willoughby also said he is confident that each of his teammates can step up when they need to. “Thursday Kelvin had the big game, [Saturday] it was Kenny,”Willoughby said.

The Bruins are averaging over 100 points per game in tournament play. UCLA beat Charleston-Southern in the first round of the tournament by a score of 109-75.

The Bruins’ second- round matchup was a 96-83 win over Xavier.

The Cyclones were one game away from the Sweet 16 last season when they suffered a disheartening loss to Utah in the second round of the tournament.

“We’re very excited to be in the Sweet 16. Last year it was disappointment to lose to Utah; it would have been a disappointment to lose to Cincinnati,” Cato said.

Tip-off is set for 9:25 p.m.