Kentucky bows out of NCAA Tournament after melting down vs. Iowa State
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Kentucky advanced to the Sweet 16 in Mark Pope’s first season in 2024-25. Iowa State made sure a second-straight appearance wasn’t in the cards.
The second-seeded Cyclones dug out of a double-digit hole in the first half before a game-changing 16-3 run in the second half that spanned nearly six minutes, surging to an 82-63 win over the seventh-seeded Wildcats to claim a third regional semifinal appearance in five seasons.
Iowa State moves to 28-7 and will face the winner of Sunday night’s Round of 32 game between Tennessee and Virginia in Chicago on Friday. Kentucky‘s season ends at 22-13.
It was a 31-30 Iowa State lead at the break as the Cyclones turned a seven-point deficit into a slim lead after ending the first half on an 8-0 run. Kentucky tried to regain control of the game, getting within 43-38 with 15:36 on the clock. That was the closest the Wildcats got the rest of the way as Iowa State scored 16 of the next 19 points, stretching its lead to 59-41 with 9:53 left and eventually going up as much as 23 points.
The Wildcats enjoyed a quick start to this one, leading 18-6 with 12:48 to go in the first half. But the Cyclones went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:30 to tie it at 20 with 8:18 left before the break. After Kentucky responded with a 10-3 spurt to go up 30-23 with just over two minutes left, Iowa State scored the final eight points of the frame, capped by a Nate Heise three-pointer to send the Cyclones to the locker room with a 31-30 lead.
Despite the Wildcats’ attempts to stay in the hunt, though, this one belonged to the Cyclones, who exited in the second round of the 2025 tournament.
Tamin Lipsey finished with a double-double for Iowa State, posting game highs of 26 points and 10 assists. He also added five steals. Milan Momcilovic added 20.
For Kentucky, Denzel Aberdeen led the way with 20 points. Otega Oweh had 18 points and eight rebounds. No other Wildcat reached double digits.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
