MILWAUKEE – Coming off a dominant first-round victory over a greatly overmatched No. 14 seed Lipscomb, No. 3 seed Iowa State is preparing for a much stiffer challenge from No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the round of 32.

There aren’t many similarities between Lipscomb and Ole Miss, but the biggest difference between the Cyclones’ first two NCAA Tournament opponents could be in the teams’ size and physicality. 

Iowa State had a height advantage over Lipscomb at every single position, as Lipscomb started three players who were 6-feet 3-inches or shorter.

The Cyclones used their physical advantages to impose their will on the inside on the offensive end, as they scored 50 of their 82 points inside the paint, as well on the defensive end, where they were able to essentially eliminate Lipscomb’s ability to get inside. 

Sunday’s game against Ole Miss will be a completely different challenge for Iowa State as Ole Miss is much better equipped to handle Iowa State’s physicality. 

The Cyclones know that there will be a stark difference from what they saw on Friday.

“I would say they’re a big physical team and it’s a big contrast from Lipscomb in terms of height and weight,” senior guard Nate Heise said. 

“Ole Miss, they’re athletic, tall, physical and they play good defense,” sophomore Milan Momcilovic said. 

On top of their size and physical ability, the Rebels are also very versatile on both sides of the ball. 

Offensively, Ole Miss has six players that score in double-figures. Senior guard Sean Pedulla leads the way at 15 points per game on 43.7% shooting from the field and 39% from behind the arc. In the Rebels’ 71-64 first-round victory over No. 11 North Carolina, Pedulla was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points.

“[Pedulla] is a really good player, a really good guard,” Momcilovic said. “He gets everyone involved so we have to shut him down early.”

Right behind Pedulla are five Rebels that average between 10.9 and 10.5 points per game. This offensive flexibility will present Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his team with unique challenges on defense.

“Certainly Pedulla has hit some big shots and had some big moments [against North Carolina] and many other games this year,” Otzelberger said. “But when you really look at their team, it’s challenging to focus on one particular guy because so many guys do so many things well.”

Ole Miss’ versatility is also apparent on the defensive end. The Rebels boast the eighth-ranked scoring defense in the SEC, holding opponents to an average of 71.5 points per game. 

A major focus of Ole Miss’ defensive strategy is being able to switch on to any player regardless of position. The Cyclones are well aware of the challenges that this unique defensive style presents. 

“Their defensive versatility is terrific, their switch ability. Guards on bigs, bigs on guards, they do a great job,” Otzelberger said. “Their defense really tries to frustrate you by not allowing the ball to get in the paint and trying to keep it on one side of the floor. When they’re at their best, they’re doing that really well.”

“They guard well, we can’t get caught up in their switching five defense,” senior guard Curtis Jones said. “They switch everything and we just gotta keep the ball moving.”

While Ole Miss’ switchability can cause problems, Iowa State knows that it could also lead to advantageous situations when it’s able to get a big matched-up with an Ole Miss guard. 

“With the switching, we’re gonna have a couple inside, so that’s something we’re looking to take advantage of,” senior center Dishon Jackson said. 

“When the mismatch presents itself, take advantage of it, don’t look to force it,” Jones said. 

It will be interesting to see how Otzelberger and his coaching staff plan on countering the Rebels’ versatility, but the Cyclones seem confident in the game plan. 

“Coming in [the coaches] were confident when they were presenting the plan to us, so that gives us confidence to go out there and execute,” Jones said. 

The Cyclones will take on the Rebels at 6:45 p.m. Sunday from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The game will be broadcast live on truTV.