The Lowdown

Anything can happen in March, and Iowa State finally saw the other side of a thrilling finish as the 3-seed Cyclones fell to 14-seed UAB in the second round of the NCAA tournament, 60-59.

The Blazers played the classic role of Cinderella in just the second game in the round of 64, out-rebounding the Cyclones 52-37 and 19-9 on the offensive glass to help put away Iowa State. UAB’s Robert Brown led all scorers with 21 points and William Lee chipped in a double-double with a 14-point, 12-rebound effort. 

The game featured stagnant shooting as UAB shot just 34.8 percent from the field and Iowa State only connected on 36.9 percent of its shots.

Monte Morris led the Cyclones with 15 points while Georges Niang struggled, hitting just 4-of-15 shots and scoring 11 points. Matt Thomas came off the bench to score 11 points for the Cyclones.

Morris also had an uncharacteristic three turnovers on the day, while seniors Dustin Hogue and Bryce Dejean-Jones failed to score a point in the contest.

The second round loss is the earliest NCAA tournament exit of the Fred Hoiberg era. 

The Turning Point

With 7.5 seconds to go, Naz Long pulled up for a wide-open 3-pointer that would have tied the game at 60, but came up just short. Monte Morris tipped the ball in for two points, but with 0.7 seconds remaining, the Cyclones ran out of time. 

The X-Factor

Jameel McKay — On a day where Georges Niang and Monte Morris struggled to get going, McKay was there to clean up the mess. McKay grabbed six offensive rebounds, helping finish missed baskets.

McKay finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, adding six blocks.

By the Numbers

1 — First upset of the NCAA tournament

8 — Minutes played by Georges Niang in the first half

11 — Margin in seeding, making it the largest tournament upset since 2-seeded Cyclones lost to 15-seeded Hampton in 2001

15 — Rebounding margin in UAB’s favor

17 — Bench points by the Cyclones