Iowa State Basketball's Opponent Revealed for 2026 NCAA Tournament

Following a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament, the Iowa State Cyclones will now know who they will be playing in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

While there was rightfully concern about how the Cyclones were playing coming into the Big 12 tournament, the team performed extremely well and played some of their best basketball of the season.

Even though they might have been beaten by the Arizona Wildcats on a buzzer-beater, Iowa State should be optimistic about what the future could hold for the program. Overall, this was a strong campaign for the team, and they really performed well early on. The Cyclones got off to a program record 16-0 start to the season, and they were ranked as one of the best teams in the country.

While they might not have been able to sustain that level of success once conference play started in the Big 12, they have been able to play with some of the best teams in the country.

Now, they will be hoping to have a strong showing in the NCAA tournament and make some noise. Following the selection Sunday show, they now know who they will be playing.

Cyclones Land Tennessee State Tigers

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic reacting to a loss — Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Despite some concern about where they would land in the NCAA tournament, the Cyclones did ultimately land a two seed in the Midwest Region. Iowa State will be matching up against the winner from the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee State Tigers.

The Tigers had a strong year in the Ohio Valley conference, going 23-9 overall and running the table to snag the automatic bid. This is a team that will be playing extremely fast, and the Cyclones will have to prepare for what is going to be a fast pace.

Iowa State should be happy with their draw, and they will be in the same region as the Michigan Wolverines as their number one seed. Furthermore, as the three seed, the Virginia Cavaliers could be who the Cyclones clash with down the road.

Based on how the team performed in the Big 12 and them seemingly building momentum, they should be considered a major threat in this tournament. Star forward Joshua Jefferson is playing extremely well, and when he is playing at a high level, the Cyclones have been one of the best teams in the country. With March Madness and the NCAA tournament officially here, the pressure will be on for Iowa State to perform.