The Big 12 Conference will have one team in the Elite Eight after the conclusion of Friday’s action in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
No. 2 seeded Iowa State (29-8) fell to No. 6 seeded Tennessee (25-11), 76-62, in the Midwest Region, the final game of the evening.
For Iowa State, it was a third trip to the Sweet 16 in five years under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, but the third that fell short of getting back to the Elite Eight. Tamin Lipsey and Nate Heise each had 18 points.
For Tennessee and head coach Rick Barnes, it was another trip to the Elite Eight, the program’s third straight. Nate Ament led four Vols in double figures with 18 points. Felix Okpara and Jaylen Carey had double-doubles.
Here are three takeaways from the night.
Iowa State’s Unsweet Departure
Shortly before tip-off on Friday Iowa State announced that forward Joshua Jefferson would not play due to an injury. I expected that. That was certainly an issue for the Cyclones, who were facing a Tennessee team that is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, especially on the offensive end.
But even without Jefferson it shouldn’t have been like this. The Volunteers outrebounded the Cyclones, 43-22. That included a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass. I expected the Cyclones to get outrebounded without Jefferson. But it was the lack of attention to detail of blocking out by the Cyclones overall that was astounding. There were many occasions where Iowa State players had clear block-outs and didn’t execute. It did not compute with the attention to detail I’ve seen from Iowa State all season.
It was a close first half, thanks to Nate Heise, who helped the Cyclones compensate for life without Jefferson for a half. But the Vols got hot in the first 10 minutes and got a double-digit lead and hung onto it.
Tennessee did one other thing that was vital to its win — shut down Milan Momcilovic. Without Jefferson the Vols clearly decided it was better for them to shut down the junior than to try and limit Tamin Lipsey. That’s a fair strategy. He’s a devastating shooter. He scored six points and made two 3-pointers. He couldn’t even get a volume game going. Tennessee face-guarded him all night.
So Iowa State didn’t have Jefferson, saw Momcilovic shut down and didn’t have its A-game when it came to rebounding. It will go down as one of the biggest unanswered questions in program history — what if Jefferson had played?
A Cyclones Reboot Coming
Iowa State’s issues in the Sweet 16 continued. It was the program’s eighth Sweet 16, but five straight exits since making the Elite Eight in 2000. Otzelberger has done a masterful job making the Cyclones a perennial Big 12 contender. But the next step awaits — and it’s going to be hard next season.
This roster is going to change and not by choice. Friday’s game was the last for Ames, Iowa, native Tamin Lipsey, who leaves as one of the most respected players in program history. Jefferson also sat and watched his college career end from the bench after an all-America season. Heise is done after six collegiate seasons, too.
Those will be hard players to replace. Yes, Momcilovic is back — or at least expected to be back. This is the transfer portal era, after all. But Otzelberger must replace his best point guard, his best forward and his best role player this offseason.
Losing Lipsey hurts. He’s meant everything to this program for four years. He chose to stay in Ames, even after the coaching change to Otzelberger. Finding a heart-and-soul player like him will be nearly impossible.
Arizona vs. Purdue Preview
The West Region went chalk — No. 1 Arizona faces No. 3 Purdue at 7:49 p.m. central on TBS/truTV for the right to go to the Final Four.
Getting to the Final Four is a big deal for any program. But Arizona is attempting to snap a significant drought. Saturday’s game is Arizona’s first in the Elite Eight since 2015. If Arizona makes the Final Four, it will be its first trip since 2001 under Lute Olsen. He took the Wildcats to five Final Fours from 1998-2001, with the program’s only national championship in 1997. Arizona was also the national runner-up in 2001.
Purdue went to the Final Four more recently, in 2024 under current coach Matt Painter. But the Boilermakers have never won a national title. That season, along with a runner-up finish in 1969, is as close as Purdue has gotten.
The game is intriguing because it could hinge on Purdue’s talented trio of seniors — Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer — against Arizona’s talented trio of freshmen — Brayden Burries, Koa Peat and Ivan Kharchenkov. Or, Arizona’s interior due of Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awake can take over the game. Or, Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley can have that kind of game.
That could be the key to this game — Arizona’s depth. The Wildcats have plenty of tools to beat an opponent. While the Wildcats aren’t going to shot over 60% again, shooting 50% isn’t out of the question.
By night’s end, I think the Big 12 will have a representative in the Final Four for the sixth time in the last eight tournaments, dating back to 2018.
