AMES – No. 10 seed Iowa State (23-11, 11-7) will battle No. 2 seed Ohio State (27-7, 13-5) in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, March 24 at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Iowa State defeated No. 23 Notre Dame, 76-58 on Friday in the second round. It’s the third-largest margin of victory for ISU in the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State is now 14-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament action, as the Cyclones improved to 3-0 vs. Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament.
The win increases ISU’s overall record to 23-11, tying for the fourth-most victories in school history: 32 (1999-00), 25 (2000-01), 24 (1995-96), 23 (2012-13), 23 (2011-12), 23 (1994-95).
Iowa State is the nation’s leader in 3-pointers per game (9.8) and total 3-pointers made (334). ISU has made 10 or more 3-pointers in 19 games this year.
ISU made nine treys in the Notre Dame win, breaking the Big 12 record for 3-pointers made in a season with 334. ISU’s 334 treys ranks 25th all-time in NCAA history.
ISU has three players with 60 or more 3-pointers: Tyrus McGee (93), Chris Babb (64), Korie Lucious (63), one of only three schools nationally to do so (Texas Southern, Michigan).
The win was ISU’s fi rst over a ranked opponent on a neutral court since defeating No. 23 Mississippi on Dec. 23, 2000 in Laie, Hawaii.
Iowa State leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 79.5, scoring 70 points or more in 88.0 percent of its games (30/34), the best percentage in the nation.
Iowa State led by as many as 27 points in a 76-58 win over Notre Dame Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, handing the Fighting Irish its worst loss of the season.
Iowa State has now won their fi rst game in seven of their last eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Iowa State forced 17 turnovers and committed just six turnovers, its second-lowest total of the season. ISU shot 49.2 percent from the fi eld and made 14-of-its-fi rst-18 shots to begin the second half.
The Cyclones were led by freshman Georges Niang, who tied his career high with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the fi eld. Niang has posted 19 points in his last two games.
Niang has 414 points on the season, moving past his head coach Fred Hoiberg (410) to No. 4 on ISU’s freshman scoring list.
It was the 23rd double-digit scoring performance of the season for Niang.
Melvin Ejim added 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.
Ejim’s eight boards moves him to No. 7 on ISU’s career rebounding list with 755 boards. He also moved past head coach Fred Hoiberg (748).
Tyrus McGee scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the fi eld. McGee, who ranks third in school history in single-season 3-pointers (93), is third in the nation in 3-point percentage (46.0 pct.) and ranks second in school history.
Korie Lucious had six points and three assists in the win. Lucious is now 10-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
ISU made nine 3-pointers vs. Notre Dame, the 30th time this season where the Cyclones made seven or more 3-pointers.
Iowa State is 20-1 when outshooting its opponent (49.2%-43.1%) this season.
ISU is now 2-0 all-time in the UD Arena.
This will mark the third-straight NCAA appearance for the Cyclones where they faced either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed after a fi rst-game victory in the opponents home state: 2005 (No. 1 North Carolina in Charlotte), 2012 (No. 1 Kentucky in Louisville) and 2013 (No. 2 Ohio State in Dayton).
IOWA STATE-OHIO STATE QUICK FACTS
Ohio State leads the all-time series against Iowa State at 5-0, with the first game between the two teams dating back to 1965. Ohio State has a 2-0 edge in games played on a neutral court.
The Cyclones have met Ohio State once previously in the NCAA Tournament, falling 75-64 on March 14, 1985 in Tulsa, Okla. Cyclone guard Barry Stevens led all scorers in that game with 24 points, shooting 12-of-24 from the fi eld. Jeff Grayer tallied 21 points.
The two teams most recently met on Dec. 19, 2006 in a 75-56 OSU win in Columbus, Ohio. Iowa State guard Mike Taylor had 24 points and 5 assists in the game.
Iowa State point guard Korie Lucious has played against Ohio State three times, all as a member of the Michigan State Spartans. In those games, Lucious averaged 9.0 points on 45 pct. shooting, including a 16-point performance on March 14, 2009 when he was a freshman.
Senior Chris Babb also played against Ohio State three times as a Penn State Nittany Lion. Babb averaged 7.3 points on 35.0 percent shooting from the fi eld in those games.
Iowa State is 2-2 vs. Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith was the athletics director at Iowa State from 1993- 2000. He was the AD at Iowa State in head coach Fred Hoiberg’s fi nal two seasons of his playing career.
