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LSU vs Iowa State: 2022 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule

By Holden Walter-Warner

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - MARCH 05: Eric Gaines #2 and Tari Eason #13 of the LSU Tigers react against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 05, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - MARCH 05: Eric Gaines #2 and Tari Eason #13 of the LSU Tigers react against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 05, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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For a myriad of reasons, the LSU Tigers and Iowa State Cyclones might be the hardest NCAA Tournament game to predict.

TV Schedule: Friday, March 18 at 7:20 pm ET, TBS

Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Want to pick the LSU Tigers-Iowa State Cyclones game on Friday evening in your bracket? Better get your dart board ready.

Iowa State followed up one of the worst seasons in recent memory with one of the best starts in college basketball, suddenly surging up the AP rankings. Then, Big 12 play and the Cyclones were twisted back into the depths of mediocrity, albeit with a comfortable cushion from its non-conference performance.

LSU’s season followed a somewhat similar trajectory. They received votes in the AP poll for the first few weeks before finally cracking the rankings for a few weeks, then proceeded to fall off the radar entirely for the rest of the season.

Oh, and the Tigers fired their coach after the SEC Tournament.

Kevin Nickelberry will be leading LSU for the NCAA Tournament. The assistant isn’t a stranger to head coaching, as he was the head coach of both Hampton and Howard in the past. But taking over an SEC program between a conference tournament and the postseason is a different animal.

That being said, he will be leading the more talented program, if only for the moment. LSU has some great ballers, led by sophomore Tari Eason, averaging 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Darius Days is a monster on the boards, while Xavier Pinson is a solid floor general.

How they all come together in the wake of such scandal remains to be seen. The whole roster could be due for turnover after Will Wade’s exit, so this could be the last hurrah for this group. That’s motivation, but it’s also messy.

Speaking of messes, let’s talk about Iowa State’s offense. The team averages 66.5 points per game, ranking 329th in the nation. The Cyclones are mired in a three-game losing streak, two of the losses being the result of 41- and 36-point performances. Scoring 41 points or less doesn’t seem like a recipe for an NCAA Tournament win.

As bad of a scoring team as the Cyclones are, they’re an even worse rebounding team. Iowa State averages only 32 rebounds per game, ranking 383rd in the nation. The counting stats for this team don’t look good.

Iowa State is almost entirely dependent on getting a good game from Izaiah Brockington. The guard is averaging 17.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. The senior is coming off his worst performance of the season, though, scoring seven points on 18.8 percent shooting in the Big 12 Tournament loss to Texas Tech.

Turnovers should be an interesting component of this game. Both teams cough up the ball more than average on offense and both teams are among the elite in forcing said turnovers on the defensive end. Expect a lot of slop, perhaps more than usual with the nutty coaching factor involved.

Iowa State deserves credit for its season. T.J. Otzelberger took over a program that won two games last year. Not two games in Big 12 play, two games total. The Cyclones didn’t win a single Big 12 game last year. The turnaround is unbelievable.

dark. Next. Most likely to win it all

But the magic has been wearing off for months now. Friday will only be the culmination, despite the LSU’s own lackluster entry into the Big Dance.

Prediction: LSU 66, Iowa State 52

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