Pittsburgh survived a nailbiter in its First Four matchup with Mississippi State, winning 60-59 after Shakeel Moore missed an open 3-point try in the final seconds. The Panthers’ reward? A date with Iowa State in the Round of 64 on Friday, for which the Cyclones are favored.
True to their name, the Cyclones are a stingy defensive unit with a penchant for inducing chaos; they rank ninth in the country in both adjusted defensive efficiency and steal rate. Having faced the fourth-toughest schedule in college basketball, they also have plenty of quality wins on their resume, including three victories over Baylor, one win apiece over Kansas, Kansas State and Texas, and two over TCU.
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But Pittsburgh is a well-coached team with plenty of offensive firepower. The Panthers make nearly three more 3-pointers per game than the Cyclones, so look for that as a swing factor, as it was against Mississippi State. If they can keep their turnovers down and hold Iowa State off the offensive glass, an upset is entirely plausible.
For T.J. Otzelberger’s squad, this tournament offers a chance to build on the Cyclones’ run to the Sweet 16 last year — which, ironically, began by upsetting No. 6 seed LSU as an 11 seed.
Jeff Capel’s Panthers are dancing for the first time since 2016 and looking for their first advance to the Round of 32 since 2014.
What: Midwest Region, first round
Tipoff time: 3:10 p.m. ET Friday
TV: truTV
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
Iowa State vs. Pittsburgh odds
Odds are from BetMGM and update live.
Expert picks
Model projection: Iowa State by 4.5, total 133.8
See Austin Mock’s best bets for the first round
Players to watch
Iowa State
Gabe Kalscheur, senior guard, All-Big 12 defensive team and second team
Pittsburgh
Jamarius Burton, graduate guard, All-ACC first team
Blake Hinson, junior forward, All-ACC second team
Nike Sibande, senior guard, ACC Sixth Man of the Year
More NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage
(Photo of Jaren Holmes: David Purdy / Getty Images)
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