There will be little time for the Iowa State men to sit and think following a heartbreaking loss to Auburn Monday night at the Maui Invitational.

The fifth-ranked Cyclones (3-1) jump right back on the floor Tuesday against Dayton, who fell to No. 12 North Carolina in the final quarterfinal round game on the big island. 

After jumping out to a 16-point halftime lead, and taking an 18-point advantage on No. 4 Auburn, Iowa State could not hold the Tigers off. Johni Broome, Auburn’s All-American candidate, scored on a putback with time winding down for an 83-81 victory.

Prior to the loss, the Cyclones had cruised past their first three opponents, besting Mississippi Valley State, Kansas City and IU Indianapolis with ease. It looked as if another win was in the works before Iowa State went cold from the floor. 

Keshon Gilbert scored a game-high 23 points on 8 of 10 shooting while Curtis Jones added 14. Tamin Lipsey was held to just six on 3 of 9 shooting as Auburn held a 35-27 advantage on the glass. 

The Flyers (5-1) built a commanding lead on UNC before seeing it evaporate much like Iowa State had happen vs. Auburn, They led 51-33 at the break before the Tar Heels caught fire late to score the comeback victory.

With a win Tuesday night, Iowa State will play Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. CT against either two-time defending national champion Connecticut or Colorado. If they lose, they play Thursday at 11 p.m. against the loser of the UConn-Colorado contest. 

Here are details on how to watch Iowa State’s contest vs. Dayton on Tuesday, Nov. 26:

Who: Iowa State vs. Dayton in men’s basketball action

When: 7:30 p.m. CT | Tuesday, November 26

Where: Lahaina Civic Center | Lahaina, Hawaii

Live Stream: Stream Iowa State vs. Dayton live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: ESPNU

Betting Odds: Not available. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Our Prediction: Iowa State 71, Dayton 60

Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Iowa State on SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Monday’s matchup.

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to take care of business on Saturday against the Maryland Terrapins. Now, they head into their final game of the regular season this coming Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers with a 7-4 record.

Iowa will be headed to a bowl game following their game against Nebraska. However, the real question ends up being, which bowl game will they play in?

At this point in time, the Hawkeyes seem to be trending towards playing in one bowl game in particular.

Here are a few of the bowl game projections that have been put out there by analysts:

Obviously, the ReliaQuest Bowl seems to be the clear favorite when it comes to what game Iowa will play in.

Looking at some of the matchups that have been suggested, there is the potential for a very entertaining game.

Going up against Ole Miss, South Carolina, or Alabama would be a very difficult test for the Hawkeyes. Any of those three games would give them a great test to end the 2024 season.

There is still one game that needs to be played. A win over the Cornhuskers would have them ending their season at 8-4. After that game, it will be a wait and see approach as to which bowl game Iowa will play.

All of that being said, seeing this projections should bring excitement to the Hawkeyes’ fan base. None of them would be easy games, but the matchups would give Iowa a chance to end the season with a major upset and to head into the offseason on a high note.