What are Iowa State March Madness all time records and stats? Every March and April, 68 teams enter the NCAA tournament in hopes of walking away as college basketball national champions. Some have much better chances than others, though Cinderella stories are commonplace in this day and age.
Iowa reached the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in the last 3 years and they will try to get past Illinois to achieve the Elite 8, something the program has not achieved since the year 2000.
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Coming into the tournament, Iowa State has put itself in a position to be heavily discussed. Iowa State’s history in the tournament is comprehensive even if it isn’t as stacked as some of the traditional powerhouses. Let’s take a deep dive into the history of Iowa State in the NCAA tournament.
Early Years: Iowa State’s Introduction to March Madness
Iowa State’s program goes back to the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until 1944 that the team finally made it into The Big Dance. They have gone long stretches between tournament appearances but have largely been involved since 1985.
There are a few years that stand out above the rest. The Cyclones don’t have a national championship to their credit yet and just one Final Four appearance. Let’s take a look at some of the best individual tournament performances by the Cyclones throughout the years.
March Madness Best Runs
1944 – Final Four. The lone Final Four appearance in program history. Funny enough, it would be the first tournament appearance for the Cyclones as well. The team went 14-4 that year, including 9-1 in the Big 6 under Louis Menze. They would ultimately fall to Utah, who would defeat Dartmouth in overtime to win the national championship.
1985 – A Return to the Dance. What could be so special about a year where Iowa State March Madness lost in the first round? Well, it was historic for the Cyclones because it was the first appearance in the tournament in 40 years and started a consistent run of tournament appearances under Johnny Orr.
2000 – Elite Eight. The second-furthest Iowa State has gone, this time under the legendary Larry Eustachy. The Cyclones, a No. 2 seed that year, made it all the way to the Midwest Regional finals only to fall short against the powerhouse Michigan State Spartans, who won it all that year.
2024 – Sweet Sixteen and more? Since Iowa has beaten Washington, they qualified for the sweet sixteen for the first time in 3 years, making T. J. Otzelberger the first coach in Iowa State history to achieve that two times. If Iowa State manages to get past Illinois they will make history and achieve what they are missing for 24 years.
𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝟭𝟮 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦!#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/FlOeXCmTwq
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 17, 2024
Overall Iowa State March Madness Record
The Cyclones’ NCAA tournament history is largely from 1985 to present. On the whole, they have played in 43 tournament games throughout the years. They have won 21 of them, earning a .488 winning percentage throughout the years.
In the last 10 years, they have reached the regional semifinal three times, the latest of which came in 2022 in T.J. Otzelberger’s first season as head coach. Earning a No. 2 seed this year would match their best seeding, achieved twice under Eustachy (2000 and 2001).
Memorable Moments and Upsets: Iowa State’s Tournament Drama
March Madness is all about the drama. It’s about the moments. It’s about the madness. There are plenty of programs out there that have memorable moments and not all of them have to involve capturing the national championship. Iowa State has more than a few itself.
Narrowing down the list of the best Iowa State March Madness NCAA tournament moments was tougher than it might seem on the surface. Here are some of those March Madness moments that fans of the Cyclones will no doubt have at the forefront of their minds.
2001 – The Hampton Game
While it would be nice for all of the memorable moments to be positive, that’s just not how it goes. Even for a program like Iowa State, there is one moment of sadness that stands out above the rest. Known as the Hampton Game, it leaves the 2001 team as the biggest, “What if?” in program history.
The Cyclones were a No. 2 seed that year, facing No. 15 Hampton in the first round. It was supposed to be academic, the first step on the path to redemption from the Michigan State loss of a year before. Instead, the final buzzer sounded, and the score read “Hampton 58, Iowa State 57.” The Cyclones haven’t been as highly seeded since.
2000 – The Michigan State Game
This may have been the best team in Iowa State March Madness history. They had a whopping 30 wins by the time they ran up against Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans in the Midwest Regional Final. One more win and they would make it back to the Final Four for the first time in nearly 60 years.
Unfortunately, the Spartans were loaded. Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson led the way in what many felt was the de facto national championship game. Eustachy was ejected in the second half after constant battles with the refs, capping off a frustrating game, on the whole.
2014 – Return to the Sweet Sixteen
The Cyclones began a run under Hoiberg that reintroduced them to the national audience. And though there was never a move back into the Final Four to really punctuate the run, the 2014 season can be looked back upon fondly.
It started with the Big 12 tournament tile and led to a No. 3 seed for the Cyclones. An 85-83 win in the round of 32 over North Carolina set the stage for a battle with UConn. The Cyclones ultimately fell short to the eventual national champion Huskies but created a sense of promise in Ames.
2012 – Welcome Back, Iowa State
Iowa State hadn’t quite been back to its early 2000s status yet, but Hoiberg was starting a positive trend. Royce White took the ball the length of the floor in what seemed like a standard play against the UConn Huskies, the defending national champions.
It ended with a vicious dunk, seemingly over every Huskie defender. The dunk itself is iconic but it also led the way to a major upset. The Cyclones took down the defending champs 77-64 and brought the program back into relevance all in one night.
2022 – Year of the Upsets
The Cyclones have made it into the Elite Eight twice and the Final Four just once. But one of the most memorable runs in program history, at least recent program history, came in 2022. The Cyclones reached the tournament as a No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region, few expecting anything out of them.
Facing No. 6 LSU in the first round, the Cyclones managed to pull off a sizeable upset with the 59-54 win. But the real magic came in the round of 32. Facing No. 3 Wisconsin, Iowa State was supposed to be dominated. Instead, they eliminated the Badgers 54-49 (while No. 10 Miami (FL) ousted No. 2 Auburn) to set the stages for a battle of the underdogs in the Sweet Sixteen.
Legendary Players and Coaches: Icons of Iowa State Basketball
Iowa State has had its fair share of legendary coaches and players roll through Ames, IA. A few names have played an important role in taking Iowa State from a team that almost never made it to The Big Dance to one that routinely makes appearances.
Though there have been downswings – Greg McDermott, Wayne Morgan – the Cyclones have had a nice run of coaches over the last 40 years. Here are a few coaches and players that have helped shape the history of Iowa State basketball throughout the years.
Fred Hoiberg
Hoiberg is unique in that he not only played for the Cyclones but also coached them through one of the most successful stretches in program history. He played four years for the Cyclones in the mid-1990s, ultimately having his No. 32 hung in the rafters.
He then took the reins of the program beginning with the 2010-11 season and put together quite the run. Starting in 2012, he and the Cyclones made it to the round of 32 every year for four years straight. The best of the bunch was a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2014.
Monte Morris
Morris is easily in the discussion for the greatest point guard in Iowa State history. Given his track record, he could easily make a case for being the best Cyclone ever. Morris came into the equation right at the end of the Hoiberg era, helping lead the Cyclones out of the first round in all three years.
As a freshman, he broke the NCAA record by leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.79, including an incredible 6.9 assist-to-turnover ratio against Big 12 foes. In 2017, Morris really hit his stride, being named to the All-Big 12 first team in the process.
Johnny Orr
Will all respect to Eustachy, who took the Cyclones to the Elite Eight in 2000, Orr may have done more for the program than anyone. In his fifth season as coach, he took the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1944.
During his 14 years at the helm, Iowa State made it to the tournament six times. In that span, they made a second-round appearance as a No. 10 seed in 1992 with their best performance being a regional semifinal appearance in 1986. Orr helped bring the program out of the dark ages and into NCAA tournament contention.
Ray Wehde
This one is a bit of a throwback but how can you not include someone who helped take Iowa State to its lone Final Four appearance? Wehde played on the team from 1943-1948, including playing a bench role in the run on that 1944 team.
What is interesting about Wehde is that he did it in multiple sports. In 1944, he was an All-American in the hurdles, showing the athlete he was. Wehde’s contributions to the program were finally recognized as he was officially inducted into the Iowa State University Hall of Fame in 2010.
DeAndre Kane
Initially starting out at Marshall, Kane transferred to Iowa State and became a Wooden Award hopeful. He even finished as a Naismith College Player of the Year finalist as well.
In 2014, Kane became the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year, earning a second-team All-America pick in his only season in Ames. He averaged 17.1 points per game, 5.9 assists, and 6.8 rebounds in one of the single most dominant seasons by an Iowa State player ever.
2024 March Madness: Iowa State’s Chances
The Cyclones have had a tremendous season, drastically impacting the odds of a run at the national championship. For some, Iowa State’s odds are even more important than their tournament history. It has been a positive trajectory for the Cyclones.
The Cyclones began the year at +10000 to win the national championship. As of this writing, they are still in contention for the Big 12 tournament title and a No. 2 seed. That has elevated them to +3000 to win it all and that can improve should they walk away as Big 12 tournament champions.
Iowa State March Madness first round game against South Dakota State finished 82-65 and the Cyclones moved forward.
On To The Sweet Sixteen
In the NCAA Tournament game against Washington State, Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger’s halftime challenge spurred a second-half comeback, led by intense defense and balanced scoring.
Despite a strong effort from Washington State early on, Iowa State’s resilience and aggressive play turned the tide, leading to a 67-56 victory.
The Cyclones, now advancing to the Sweet 16, face No. 3 seed Illinois next. Washington State, despite a valiant effort, fell short, marking their continued quest for a Sweet 16 appearance since 2008.
How Sweet it is. #Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/IJ0GPpvycK
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 24, 2024
The game showcased Iowa State’s ability to adapt, capitalize on turnovers, and maintain composure under pressure, setting the stage for their upcoming matchup with Illinois.
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Looking Ahead: Iowa State’s Future in March Madness
The focus is undoubtedly on this season and just how deep into the tournament Iowa State can make it. But looking at the big picture, things have to feel very promising for the Cyclones. Given that they were 2-22 in Steve Prohm’s final season in 2021, things have drastically changed.
T.J. Otzelberger came in and immediately helped take the team to the Sweet Sixteen. This is the best Iowa State group since the latter days of Fred Hoiberg and the first few seasons of Prohm. Iowa State has created a solid program that should contend at the top of the Big 12 for the foreseeable future.
The scoreboard displays the Iowa State Cyclones as Big 12 Champions after winning the tournament final against the Houston Cougars on Mar 16, 2024 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
Conclusion
Iowa State may not have the pedigree of other programs like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, or UConn, but they should be taken very seriously. Even if they don’t manage to win the Big 12 conference tournament, they have a very good chance at nailing down a No. 2 seed.
We have seen craziness in the March Madness brackets before. Even one major upset could be the ripple effect that leads to a Cyclone appearance in the Final Four. Excitement is high in Ames and reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1944 would be an incredible achievement.
