How Iowa State Basketball Can Take Down Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament

Can the Iowa State Cyclones beat the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA tournament?

Mar 13, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones coach TJ Otzelberger during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones absolutely dominated their first-round game over the Tennessee State Tigers, winning by a score of 108-74. However, it wasn’t anything new for Iowa State. They have been burning hot over the last few weeks and are one of the best teams in the entire nation.

Depth stepping up, stars performing, and coaching working wonders have been the keys to recent success for the Cyclones, and they look to continue that into the next round, where they will take on the seventh seed Kentucky Wildcats. Iowa State comes in as a favorite but certainly could fall if things don’t go their way.

So how can Iowa State take down Kentucky? Once again, it’s going to be a lot of stepping up off the bench.

Keys To Victory

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

In the first game, it was Killyan Toure, Nate Heise, Blake Buchanan, Jamarion Batemon, Dominykas Pleta, and Dominick Nelson that all stepped up in big moments. Despite the loss of Joshua Jefferson, it didn’t seem like much of a problem as everyone else played to the best of their abilities. With Jefferson likely out against Kentucky, they are going to have to get players to step up once again. Weather it’s Toure, Heise, Buchanan, Pleta, Batemon, or Nelson, Iowa State needs a few players to do well against Kentucky, both scoring offensively and stopping Kentucky stars on defense.

Other than the depth, the main issue is the fact that Kentucky has one of the best players in the country, Otega Oweh. While he has had a bit of a down year, he is still a top star and expressed that against Santa Clara. He finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the overtime victory. Not to mention he also hit a buzzer beater from the logo to even force overtime. Oweh is going to need to be stopped against Iowa State or there is certainly a chance Kentucky is able to get the win.

Sunday’s matchup is going to have to be a mix of a few different things. They will need strong defense, especially from the guards like Lipsey, Toure, and Heise. They are going to need players offensively to score and pass the ball with confidence and move the offense flowingly. Iowa State will also need players to step up in the possible absence of Jefferson. If the Cyclones are able to achieve all, which they likely will, Iowa State will be booking their trip to Chicago for another Sweet Sixteen appearance.