AMES — After getting back to Ames, Iowa, with the Big 12 Championship trophy, the Cyclones had to quickly put their excitement aside as they heard their name called on Selection Sunday as the No. 2 seed in the East region.
Their opponent in the first round? South Dakota State.
In 2017, Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger was the head coach of South Dakota State. In his three-year tenure, he led the Jackrabbits to two regular-season titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Now in 2024, Otzelberger has to face his old team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Given the past relationship and the continued relationship between Otzelberger and the coaches at South Dakota State, he has kept up with the team since leaving.
“I’ve watched them a fair amount through the season,” Otzelberger said.
South Dakota State is 22-12 this season and won the Summit League Championship. The Jackrabbits will be going into the matchup on an eight-game winning streak.
Despite the matchup, the game could favor the Cyclones based on the location. Along with the No. 2 seed, the Cyclones were awarded Omaha, Nebraska, as their location for the first two rounds.
Given the amount of Cyclone fans that traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, driving less distance should be no problem.
“Just knowing that our fans travel, it’s gonna be a fun environment, it’s gonna be a fun game,” Tre King said.
Despite the high seed, Iowa State still fell below a slew of teams that lost over the weekend. Most notable was Houston, who Iowa State beat en route to a conference title.
Although getting the No. 1 seed in a region would have been historic for the Cyclones, they did not care too much.
“Honestly, we don’t really care. At least from what I’ve gotten from the guys and the conversations we’ve had, like it would have been cool to be a one, but at the end of the day, we know what we do and do well, and we honestly think we can beat anybody in the country, whether we’re a one-seed, two-seed or whatever,” King said.
The confidence in the team comes from the conference they play in. As was stated multiple times throughout the season by Otzelberger and a handful of coaches that left Hilton with losses, the Big 12 has been the best basketball conference in the nation.
Iowa State fought through a brutal Big 12 schedule and came out conference champions.
“When you play the level of competition that we do night in and night out, you really don’t feel like you get surprised a whole lot,” Otzelberger said.
“I think it’s a big advantage, because you’re going versus tournament teams almost every game we play, and maybe some teams in some other conferences aren’t necessarily doing that,” Curtis Jones said.
The Cyclones will have their work cut out for them as they now have to gameplan for a whole new season, in a sense. Making a deep run will rely on how they deal with an onslaught of tough teams.
“Now that we’re in the tournament, it’s a whole new ballgame for everybody,” King said.
The No. 1 seed in the conference is UConn, who won it all a year ago. Before that, Iowa State has to take down South Dakota State.
If Iowa State moves on, it could face off against Drake in the second round in Omaha. Given how close both teams are, fans could make or break that game.
If the Cyclones make it to the Sweet 16, they have the possibility to take on two tough teams in BYU or Illinois if the bracket goes chalk. BYU has gotten the better of the Cyclones in the past, and Illinois has one of the most high-powered offenses in the nation.
Now that the Big Dance has arrived, the Cyclones know what is in front of them and are ready for any challenge.
“It’s win or go home now,” Jones said.
