The No. 3 seed in the South Region Iowa State Cyclones(25-9) will take on No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels(23-11) in the 2nd Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. This game will take place Sunday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Cyclones advanced following a dominant victory over Lipscomb. Ole Miss started fast and hung on to defeat the UNC Tar Heels. These teams have played twice in program history. Iowa State is 2-0. Will they maintain their perfect record and punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen?
Iowa State Dominates In Opening Round
The Cyclones blew out Lipscomb on Friday 82-55. Iowa State came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and never looked back. A great offensive and defensive performance helped the Cyclones advance. They shot 58.3% from the field and 36.8% from deep. The Cyclones also held their opponent to 37.3% shooting from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.
Their offense was led by Forward Milan Momcilovic. He finished with a team-high 20 points in the win. Guard Curtis Jones continued his stellar play pouring in 17 points. He is playing great averaging 20 points over his last four games. Momcilovic and Jones must continue playing well for the Cyclones to advance.
Ole Miss Survives and Advances
The Rebels had a dominant first half against North Carolina taking an 18-point lead into half. The Tar Heels cut the lead to 2 with just over a minute left in the game. Ole Miss executed better down the stretch to prevail 71-64. The team must put together a complete game to upset Iowa State.
The Ole Miss offense did not have its best game in the Round of 64. They shot 44.4% from the field and 40% from deep. They also struggled at the free-throw line going 15-of-23. Head Coach Chris Beard has a great deal to harp on before Sunday’s contest. Guard Sean Pedulla led the Rebels with 20 points. He is the team’s best offensive player and must play well on Sunday for his squad to emerge victorious.
Final Thoughts
Iowa State is a 4.5-point favorite. They were the more consistent team and played far better in the opening game. Ole Miss, even though they hung on to win, played poorly in the second half. That does not bode well for the team heading into their 2nd round matchup. Iowa State will pull away to make the game appear more lopsided than it was.
