NCAA Tournament Second Round Primer: Ole Miss

Who: [3] Iowa State (25-9, 13-7 Big 12) vs. [6] Ole Miss (23-11, 10-8 SEC)

Where: Fiserv Forum (15,402) – Milwaukee, Wis.

When: Sunday, March 23, 2025 – 6:45 p.m. CT

Watch: TNT // Kevin Harlan (PxP), Dan Bonner & Stan Van Gundy (Analysts), Lauren Shehadi (Reporter)

Listen: Cyclone Radio Network // John Walters (PxP) & Eric Heft (Analyst)

Tipping Off: Fresh off its second-consecutive first round victory over Lipscomb, Iowa State is set to face Ole Miss in the round of 32 with a trip to Atlanta and the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Cyclones rolled in their opening round game against the Bisons, winning 82-55. ISU's 27-point margin of victory was the most lopsided win for the Cyclones in the NCAA Tournament in program history. The win gave head coach T.J. Otzelberger his fifth NCAA Tournament win at ISU – the most by a coach in program history.

The South Region's six seed, Ole Miss survived the first round, downing First Four winner UNC 71-64. The Rebels at one point led by as many as 22 points only to see the Tar Heels claw all the way back, trimming the advantage to two with a minute left. The Rebs would hold on to win, advancing to the Round of 32 for just the fourth time in school history.

Storylines:

Iowa State's "sixth starter," Curtis Jones was named an AP Honorable Mention All- American earlier this week. Jones is the 30th All-American in school history and the second for T.J. Otzelberger at Iowa State, as Tamin Lipsey earned the same honor last year.
- Jones and Keshon Gilbert were named to the NABC All-Central District this week. Jones was a first team selection, while Gilbert was named to the second team.
Saint Mary's transfer Joshua Jefferson has been a revelation for the Cyclones this season, as he has tallied 438 points, 251 rebounds, 108 assists, 72 steals and 26 blocks this season. He is the only player in the country with those numbers this season and the sixth since 1996-97 to do so. No player in Big 12 history has ever done it in a season.
The school's all-time leader in steals, Tamin Lipsey is averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in his career. He is one of 26 players since 1947-48 to average those numbers in a career while playing at least 100 games. He is one of just 11 from a Power 5 Conference to do so. His 235 career steals are the eighth-most in Big 12 history.
Four Cyclones were honored last week by the league's coaches. Jones was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, while also earning a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team. Junior Joshua Jefferson was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, while also earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Lipsey was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team, while also being named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Gilbert rounded out Iowa State's selections by being named to the All-Big 12 Third Team.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 194-107 overall and has guided the Cyclones to a 95-44 record over the last four years.
- Otzelberger's 94 wins through his first four seasons are the most in program history.
Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- He was the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to take a team to the Sweet 16 twice in his first three years on the job.
- In four years, Otzelberger has five NCAA Tournament wins – the most by any coach in program history.
Otz currently holds the school's highest winning percentage by a head coach.
Otzelberger became the school's record holder for most wins over an AP Top 25 team this season, as ISU has toppled 25 ranked foes under T.J.
- Otz also holds the record for most wins over AP Top 10 teams with 12.
At No. 15 in the AP Top 25, Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 15 for 29-straight weeks, the third-longest streak in the nation behind Tennessee's 36 and Duke's 33.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 9 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 10 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 7 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Iowa State and Ole Miss are meeting for just the third time ever on Sunday.
- ISU is 2-0 against the Rebels, with the most recent meeting coming in 2019 when ISU downed Ole Miss on the road.
Ole Miss is making its first postseason appearance since 2019 and earned its highest seed since 2001.
- Ole Miss defeated UNC in the first round, marking the team's first win since 2015.
- The Rebels will attempt to make the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history.
Ole Miss has seven players who have hit 1,000 points in their college careers: Matthew Murrell, Sean Pedulla, Dre Davis, Jaemyn Brakefield, Jaylen Murray, Mikeal Brown-Jones, and Davon Barnes.
Ole Miss has hit the record book for numerous team stats on the season, setting all-time bests in assist-turnover ratio and turnovers per game, while ranking third for most steals and third for made threes.
Ole Miss head coach Chirs Beard is in his second season at the helm of the Rebel basketball program. Beard is 43-23 during his time in Oxford.
- Beard is no stranger to the Cyclones, as he is a former Big 12 staple. He spent 10 years as a TTU assistant before becoming the team's head coach in 2016. At Tech, Beard took the Red Raiders to the national title game in 2018-19 season.
  - Beard also was the head coach at Texas.
- His career coaching record is 280-121, as he's been a head coach for 13 seasons.
Ole Miss is ranked No. 28 in the NET. The Rebels are No. 26 in KenPom and No. 31 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Keshon Gilbert

Joshua Jefferson

Curtis Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics