Iowa State Basketball: How far can Cyclones advance in 2019 NCAA Tournament?

This Iowa State Basketball is similar to past teams in a lot of ways most notably being extremely talented I take a look at how far that talent can advance in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s been an up and down season for the Iowa State Cyclones but they’re extremely talented. The way that they score the ball when they’re playing well is very tough to defend. They have a handful of guys who can all make plays for both themselves and others. They have some struggles but when they’re playing well they can compete with any team in the country.

It is very important to note that prior to the Big 12 Tournament they had been playing bad basketball. They lost five of their final six regular season games including a 15 point loss at West Virginia.

In the Big 12 Tournament, they were fantastic though as their talent was on full display as they knocked out both Kansas teams to secure their fourth Big 12 Tournament Championship in the past six years. The reason for their success is them being able to rely on different players to step up any given game.

They had a different leading scorer in each of their conference tournament game. In their quarterfinal win over Baylor, they were led by Talen Horton-Tucker‘s 21 points, including five three-pointers. Against Kansas State in the semifinals, Marial Shayok led the way with 21 points while Lindell Wigginton led the way with 17 points against Kansas.

Being able to have different guys lead you in scoring on any different night makes you extremely tough for other teams to prepare for. Outside of the three already mentioned they also have Nick Weiler-Babb and Michael Jacobson who have been big-time players this season.

Ceiling: Final Four

This is a team with legitimate Final Four type of talent. There are a lot of talented players in the NCAA Tournament but very few teams have five or six guys as good as the Cyclones have. They do have their struggles but they have the pieces to make a Final Four run.

They will be the more talented team in both of their first two NCAA Tournament games. The Ohio State Buckeyes will provide a tough challenge being led by Kaleb Wesson. He missed some time due to suspension and the Buckeyes struggled without him but with him, on the floor, they’re a much better team and more than capable of knocking off the Cyclones.

Their next matchup would likely be against the Houston Cougars and that would be a very tough one to win. They’re an elite defensive team with the experience to get over the hump this season. They lost in the second round on a Jordan Poole buzzer-beater. That was a heartbreaking loss for them but they have the players who can move past that and make a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Houston makes it extremely tough on their opponents to make shots. So far this season they have held their opponents to 37% from the field including just 28% from three-point range. That is the lowest field goal percentage allowed overall and the second lowest three-point percentage allowed. When you add in guys like Corey Davis Jr. and Armoni Brooks on the offensive end, they will be extremely tough to beat.

After that in the Sweet 16, they would likely face the Kentucky Wildcats. They would be at a disadvantage in the paint with guys like Reid Travis and PJ Washington, but they have the guards who can win the battle on the perimeter. Tyler Herro and Ashton Hagans have been playing well but Iowa State should have the better guard play in this potential matchup.

After that, they have a couple of potential matchups such as Kansas and Auburn, but the most likely opponent would be the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels were the third one seed from the ACC but they certainly are more than capable of winning the National Championship. With guys such as Cam Johnson, Luke Maye, and Coby White on their team, they would give Iowa State a lot of issues.

The Cyclones are more than capable of making a Final Four run. They can score with anybody when they’re playing well, but when they struggle they are easy to beat. There have been inconsistent teams make deep NCAA Tournament runs as that’s a big part of why teams become low seeds to have the opportunity to go on these Cinderella runs. Iowa State will not be that team though as I predict they will beat Ohio State and Houston, before they eventually fall in Kansas City against Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

Prediction: Sweet 16

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