Pavle Markovic, Sports Reporter
No. 7 Iowa State 74, No. 10 Maryland 71
After a thrilling run to the Big 12 championship game, Iowa State awaited its name called on Selection Sunday to find out where it would be placed in the Big Dance. The Cyclones earned the No. 7 seed, to which they’d be matched up to play No. 10 Maryland in Stanford, California.
In a season of transition for Iowa State, many thought the Cyclones would struggle to find success with a much younger group than the one that just won the Big 12 a season ago. This was not the case as, led by star center Audi Crooks, Iowa State surged its way to a fourth-place finish in the conference while being runner-ups in the Big 12 Tournament.
Regardless of what’s to come for the NCAA tournament, the Cyclones’ future has never been brighter, with a young group of freshmen looking to only add to their first year of success.
They now face a Terrapins team that is coming off of its own little run in the Big Ten Tournament, as they reached the semifinals before losing to Nebraska. Maryland is led by a three-guard scoring group averaging at least 12 points per game.
One of the Terrapins’ weaknesses will come from their size compared to the Cyclones, as they only have one player over 6-foot-2: Hawa Doumbouya, who stands at 6-foot-7. So, expect Iowa State to continue to utilize Crooks’ dominance in the paint, as Maryland will attempt to halt her post play.
I do have this game going down to the wire, to which I have Iowa State pulling out a three point win to advance to the round of 32 to potentially play a juggernaut in No. 2 Stanford.
Brett Twelmeyer, Sports Reporter
No. 7 Iowa State 77, No. 10 Maryland 72
Iowa State defied the odds this season and made the Big 12 championship game to lock up a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A 6-0 record throughout the end of the regular season and part of the Big 12 Tournament must have caught the eyes of the committee.
This pins the Cyclones up against No. 10 seed Maryland, a team that went 9-9 in the Big 10 and lost to Nebraska in the conference tournament semifinal. The Terrapins played a gauntlet non-conference schedule that included South Carolina, UConn and other tournament teams.
Against non-Big 12 Power 5 teams this season, Iowa State is 0-3, with losses to Vanderbilt, Syracuse and Iowa. Those all happened months ago, and Iowa State looks like a completely different team from then.
For starters, Emily Ryan did not play in those games. Since her return, Iowa State has gotten better, and so have the freshmen. This group of freshmen for Iowa State has blossomed this season, with Crooks and Addy Brown receiving awards in the All-Big 12 Honors.
The key to this game for the Cyclones will be limiting turnovers. It is no secret that turnovers have been the Achilles’ heel for Iowa State this season, and a multitude of them in March could be the difference between advancing or going home.
Maryland has a familiar face to Iowa State in head coach Brenda Frese, who was an assistant for Bill Fennelly in the late 1990s. Frese has the highest win percentage for Maryland’s women’s basketball program and won the 2006 National Championship.
I think this game will be like many Iowa State has been in this season: close and probably decided in the final minute. I do see the road not ending after one game, unlike last season, and Iowa State will win and advance to more than likely face No. 2 Stanford.
