Iowa State basketball: Cyclones miss out on Sweet 16, fall to Ole Miss
RIGHT NOW. GOOD EVENING. IT IS THE END OF THE ROAD FOR IOWA STATE. THE 9178 LOSS AT THE HANDS OF OLE MISS WILL SEND THE CYCLONES PACKING IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. OUR JEFF DUBROF IS LIVE TONIGHT IN MILWAUKEE. AND HE SPOKE WITH THE PLAYERS AFTER THE LOSS. JEFF. YEAH. GOOD EVENING TODD, AND THANKS TO ALL AT HOME WHO HAVE STAYED UP LATE WITH US THIS EVENING. THE WORD YOU’RE GOING TO HEAR, TODD, FOR THIS IOWA STATE SEASON COMING TO A CLOSE IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENT. DISAPPOINTING. THIS WAS A TOP FIVE TEAM WHEN THE SEASON BEGAN. THEY WERE RANKED AS HIGH AS NUMBER TWO IN THE COUNTRY. AND THEY WILL NOT GET PAST THE FIRST WEEKEND OF THIS MARCH MADNESS. YOU MENTIONED IT A 9178 LOSS AT THE HANDS OF OLE MISS SENDS THIS TEAM PACKING OVER THE LAST 16 GAMES OF THIS SEASON. IOWA STATE FINISHED IT EIGHT AND EIGHT SINCE THE WIN AT HOME AGAINST KANSAS IN JANUARY. THIS TEAM BEAT JUST TWO NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS. THAT WAS ARIZONA AT HOME AND LIPSCOMB. OF COURSE, THAT WAS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. THE STORY OF THE NIGHT AGAINST OLE MISS SHOOTING. IT’S HARD TO BEAT A TEAM THAT’S NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT A TEAM WHEN THEY SHOOT 58% FROM THREE. AND OLE MISS PUT ON ONE OF THE BEST SHOOTING PERFORMANCES. YOU’LL SEE THIS SEASON. THE REBELS SHOT 75% FROM DEEP IN THE SECOND HALF. IOWA STATE COULD NEVER FIND ITS RHYTHM, AND THAT’S THE STORY OF THE GAME. IT IS THAT SIMPLE, RIGHT? IT’S A MAKE SHOT, MISSED SHOT GAME. NOT TO SOUND REDUNDANT, BUT THAT’S HOW IT GOES. IOWA STATE SEASON COMES TO A DISAPPOINTING END. TOUGHEST PART OF THE GAME OF THE COLLEGE GAME AND SAYING GOODBYE TO THOSE. TO THOSE THAT CAN’T COME BACK AND OBVIOUSLY LOSING AND END OF THE SEASON. BEEN THROUGH A LONG SEASON WITH THESE GUYS SINCE JUNE, WORKING OUT IN THE SUMMER, AND IT’S JUST A LONG GRIND AND IT’S IT’S TOUGH TO TO SEE IT END. I JUST WANT TO REFLECT ON THE SEASON AND THE RELATIONSHIPS I’VE MADE SINCE I’VE BEEN HERE. IT FEELS LIKE I’VE BEEN HERE A LOT LONGER IN ONE YEAR, AND THAT’S IN A GOOD WAY. WITH THIS, THE STRENGTH OF THE RELATIONSHIPS I’VE MADE AND WITH THE COACHES AND THE PLAYERS AND IT’S IT’S SPECIAL. IT’S A SPECIAL GROUP. JUST SEEMED LIKE IT WASN’T OUR DAY AND IT WAS THEIR DAY. THEY MADE A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, THREES, SOME TOUGH SHOTS THAT GOT THEM BACK IN THE GAME EARLY. YOU KNOW THOSE LATE SHOT CLOCK SHOTS THEY HURT AND GET MOMENTUM. SO THAT HURT. BUT I MEAN JUST I MEAN I DON’T KNOW. I AIN’T REALLY TOO HAPPY. BUT WHO WILL BE. THAT OF COURSE WAS CURTIS JONES WITH THE LOSS TONIGHT HIS IOWA STATE CAREER HAS COME TO AN END. WHEN I ASKED HIM WHAT HE LEARNED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AT IOWA STATE, HE SAID, I LEARNED HOW TO BE A MAN. CURTIS JONES, HIS TEAMMATES SAYING HE LEFT THE JERSEY IN A BETTER PLACE. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR COVERAGE FROM HERE IN MILWAUKEE. A 9178 LOSS IN THE SECOND ROUND AT THE HANDS OF OLE MISS. IOWA STATE DIDN’T SHOOT THE BALL WELL, AND THE GUYS WHO USUALLY DO COULD NOT FIND THE RHYTHM, COULD NOT FIND THE BASKET. WE TALK ABOUT THAT COMING UP IN SPORTS. REPORTING LIVE FROM PFIZER FORUM IN MILWAUKEE, WISC
Iowa State basketball: Cyclones miss out on Sweet 16, fall to Ole Miss
Updated: 11:07 PM CDT Mar 23, 2025
Sean Pedulla scored 20 points, Jaemyn Brakefield had 19 and Mississippi beat Iowa State 91-78 on Sunday night to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history.Mississippi (24-11) is one of seven Southeastern Conference schools still standing, the most teams any conference has sent to the third round in one season. Ole Miss fans started chanting “SEC!” with over 5½ minutes left and the game well out of reach.Next up for the sixth-seeded Rebels is the winner of New Mexico-Michigan State in a South Region semifinal on Friday in Atlanta.In its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance, Ole Miss has advanced to its first regional semifinal since 2001. Second-year coach Chris Beard is working on another March run after he directed Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA Tournament final.Beard went from Texas Tech to Texas and was midway through his second season with the Longhorns when he got fired in January 2023 after a domestic violence arrest. The charges were ultimately dropped, and Ole Miss hired Beard just two months after Texas let him go.Now he’s looking to make a Final Four run at a second school.Malik Dia scored 18 points for Ole Miss, and Matthew Murrell had 15. Jaylen Murray finished with 11.Chris Jones had 26 points for the third-seeded Cyclones (25-10). Joshua Jefferson scored 13 points, and Nate Heise added 11.After scoring 20 points in Iowa State’s 82-55 first-round victory over Lipscomb, Milan Momcilovic had just five points Sunday while shooting 2 of 12.Ole Miss, a team heavy on transfers with major-conference experience, was a 5½-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but it pushed Iowa State around for most of the night. The Rebels led by 26 points before Iowa State outscored them 26-13 over the last 5½ minutes.After falling behind 13-5 in the game’s first five minutes, Ole Miss dominated the rest of the way. The Rebels pulled ahead for good by going on a 20-2 run that turned a 15-8 deficit into a 28-17 advantage.Iowa State missed 12 of 13 shots and scored just two points during one first-half stretch lasting 7 minutes, 43 seconds.Iowa State’s Dishon Jackson made the first two baskets of the second half to cut Ole Miss’ lead to 40-33, but the Rebels responded by going on an 8-1 run that culminated with a Dre Davis dunk.TakeawaysOle Miss: The Rebels shot 58.2% from the floor and went 11 of 19 from 3-point range to breeze to victory.Iowa State: Ole Miss was ranked fifth and Iowa State 20th in turnover margin heading into the game. That strength-on-strength matchup was one-sided Sunday. Iowa State committed 15 turnovers while forcing just eight. Ole Miss had a 20-7 edge in points off turnovers.Up nextOle Miss will attempt to reach a regional final for the first time. In their only previous Sweet 16 appearance, the Rebels lost 66-56 to Arizona.» Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
MILWAUKEE (AP) —Sean Pedulla scored 20 points, Jaemyn Brakefield had 19 and Mississippi beat Iowa State 91-78 on Sunday night to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history.
Mississippi (24-11) is one of seven Southeastern Conference schools still standing, the most teams any conference has sent to the third round in one season. Ole Miss fans started chanting “SEC!” with over 5½ minutes left and the game well out of reach.
Next up for the sixth-seeded Rebels is the winner of New Mexico-Michigan State in a South Region semifinal on Friday in Atlanta.
In its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance, Ole Miss has advanced to its first regional semifinal since 2001. Second-year coach Chris Beard is working on another March run after he directed Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA Tournament final.
Beard went from Texas Tech to Texas and was midway through his second season with the Longhorns when he got fired in January 2023 after a domestic violence arrest. The charges were ultimately dropped, and Ole Miss hired Beard just two months after Texas let him go.
Now he’s looking to make a Final Four run at a second school.
Malik Dia scored 18 points for Ole Miss, and Matthew Murrell had 15. Jaylen Murray finished with 11.
Chris Jones had 26 points for the third-seeded Cyclones (25-10). Joshua Jefferson scored 13 points, and Nate Heise added 11.
After scoring 20 points in Iowa State’s 82-55 first-round victory over Lipscomb, Milan Momcilovic had just five points Sunday while shooting 2 of 12.
Ole Miss, a team heavy on transfers with major-conference experience, was a 5½-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but it pushed Iowa State around for most of the night. The Rebels led by 26 points before Iowa State outscored them 26-13 over the last 5½ minutes.
After falling behind 13-5 in the game’s first five minutes, Ole Miss dominated the rest of the way. The Rebels pulled ahead for good by going on a 20-2 run that turned a 15-8 deficit into a 28-17 advantage.
Iowa State missed 12 of 13 shots and scored just two points during one first-half stretch lasting 7 minutes, 43 seconds.
Iowa State’s Dishon Jackson made the first two baskets of the second half to cut Ole Miss’ lead to 40-33, but the Rebels responded by going on an 8-1 run that culminated with a Dre Davis dunk.
Takeaways
Ole Miss: The Rebels shot 58.2% from the floor and went 11 of 19 from 3-point range to breeze to victory.
Iowa State: Ole Miss was ranked fifth and Iowa State 20th in turnover margin heading into the game. That strength-on-strength matchup was one-sided Sunday. Iowa State committed 15 turnovers while forcing just eight. Ole Miss had a 20-7 edge in points off turnovers.
Up next
Ole Miss will attempt to reach a regional final for the first time. In their only previous Sweet 16 appearance, the Rebels lost 66-56 to Arizona.
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