Kentucky
Kentucky basketball vs Iowa State prediction, pick for NCAA game
Kentucky reacts to Otega Oweh clutch shot that saved season
Kentucky players and coach break down Otega Oweh clutch season saving shot after overtime win vs Santa Clara.
ST. LOUIS — Kentucky basketball survived. And advanced.
Thanks to its 89-84 overtime victory over Santa Clara on Friday, UK sealed a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
But the challenge for coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats is about to get considerably tougher.
The next opponent for seventh-seeded Kentucky (22-13) is the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, Iowa State. The Cyclones had far less drama in their first-round matchup than the Cats. Iowa State trounced Tennesseee State, 108-74, in the game immediately following UK/Santa Clara at the Enterprise Center.
The Cyclones are one of the country’s best teams. They enter Sunday’s matchup 28-7 in 2025-26. ISU went 12-6 in the Big 12 during the regular season. Its conference tournament ended in agonizing fashion, however, falling at the buzzer to Arizona in the semifinals.
The winner of Sunday’s game between UK and ISU will clinch a spot in the Sweet 16. And pack their bags for Chicago, where the Midwest Region’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be contested next week at the United Center.
Watch Kentucky vs. Iowa State on Fubo (free trial)
Here’s what to know about Kentucky’s second-round battle against Iowa State:
The Cyclones began the 2025-26 campaign 16-0. Not only was that the program’s best-ever start to a season, but it doubled as the longest win streak in school history. Iowa State also notched 25 wins prior to the postseason for only the third time in the program’s annals.
But if the Cyclones are to set a single-season school standard for wins, they’ll need to win out. The current record holder is the 1999-2000 club, which had 32 wins. To reach 33, Iowa State must win the national championship.
In just five seasons at the helm, T.J. Otzelberger has carved out plenty of space for himself in Iowa State’s record book.
He enters today with an overall record of 123-52. That’s the most wins for any ISU coach in the first five seasons of a tenure. Otzelberger was the quickest in program history to 100 victories, needing only 145 games. He also holds the Cylcones’ mark for wins over Associated Press top-25 foes (30).
His overall winning percentage (.714), conference winning percentage (.587) and home winning percentage (.874) also are No. 1 among Iowa State coaches. And Otzelberger’s six NCAA Tournament wins are two more than any other coaches the Cyclones have had.
He’s fourth on the school’s all-time wins list, trailing Johnny Orr (218), Louis Menze (166) and Glen Anderson (142).
It’s a safe bet that if Otzelberger stays in Ames, Iowa, long enough, he’ll also be atop that list in the future.
Joshua Jefferson is averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 and 1.7 steals per game this season. That’s a stat line no Big 12 player ever has averaged in a single campaign. And, per the Cyclones’ official game notes, only five players in Division I history have done so since steals began being tracked in 1974-75. It’s a list that includes Larry Bird and Penny Hardaway.
But Jefferson’s status for Sunday is unclear.
He injured his left ankle in the first half of Friday’s rout and did not return. Jefferson made it to the team’s bench in the second half using crutches, with a boot on his left foot.
If he’s unable to take the floor Sunday, other Cyclones will have to step up.
Two of his teammates fit the bill.
Forward Milan Momcilovic is arguably the deadliest 3-point shooter in college hoops. He already has Iowa State’s single-season mark in that category, with 130 entering Sunday. Prior to Friday’s games, his 127 were tied for first nationally alongside Samford’s Jadin Booth.
More remarkably, his volume hasn’t adversely affected his accuracy. At 49.6% on the season, he also paces Division I in that category.
In the backcourt, senior guard Tamin Lipsey averages 13.3 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists per outing. He’s among the top 20 in the country in both assist-to-turnover ratio and steals per game.
If that’s not enough, he’s also the Cyclones’ career leader in steals (308) and games started (135).
Buy Kentucky NCAA Tournament tickets vs. Iowa State
Iowa State 71, Kentucky 68: With a healthy Joshua Jefferson, the Cyclones likely would be close to a double-digit favorite. But if he’s hobbled, that hurts Iowa State. And if he’s not able to play at all, that’s even tougher. Yet it’s not as if the Wildcats don’t have injury issues of their own. Starting point guard Jaland Lowe has been out since January. And forward Jayden Quaintance would need a miracle to be cleared Sunday.
Kentucky used up more energy — physically (going to OT) and emotionally (barely keeping its season alive) — than Iowa State.
It’ll be a bare-knuckled fight Sunday.
But Iowa State will eke out a narrow victory to bring down the curtains on Kentucky’s second season under Mark Pope.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
The Brooklyn Nets have developed their teams through a number of strategies over the decades, and their front office has put together considerable success through the NBA draft. Many of the franchise’s best players have joined the Nets either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades made on that day.
Moreover, it is not only the star players who have been acquired by the Nets through the draft. Several prominent alumni have been selected by the team each offseason during this annual event, with certain colleges being more prominently represented than others. An analysis of the players from different schools reveals that both prestigious programs and smaller institutions have contributed top talent to the Nets’ roster over the years.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Nets out of Kentucky State University.
Gerald Cunningham – forward
Draft year and position: fifth round (first pick, 89th overall), 1977 NBA Draft
Seasons at Kentucky State University:
Seasons played with Nets: did not make the team
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
The best shooter in college basketball will, in fact, stay in college basketball — and Kentucky is ready to make its final push.
Iowa State star Milan Momcilovic has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA Draft and will play somewhere at his current level in 2026-27. That’s not expected to be back in Ames, as Cyclone coach T.J. Otzelberger made clear, saying that if the 6-8 forward doesn’t make the jump to the pros, “it’s important that he’s able to find a landing spot at a college that fits what he’s looking for.”
Could Lexington be that final destination? The perimeter sniper already said he’s got respect for the Wildcats and Mark Pope, watching his programs closely since his time at BYU when they competed against each other in the Big 12.
In his eyes, he could be the piece Kentucky was missing this past season in the program’s Round of 32 exit, led by Momcilovic’s 20 points and five rebounds in the Cyclones’ 82-63 victory in St. Louis.
“I think Kentucky would be a good fit,” Momcilovic told the Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts last week at the NBA Draft Combine. “I obviously went against Pope at BYU his first year (in the Big 12), and I loved how his team played. I think we went 1-1 against them, but they killed us at their place, because they fly the ball up the court and shoot 3s. I really like the way they play.
“And obviously, Kentucky last year, he didn’t have enough shooters around him to really coach, I feel like, the way he wanted. But I think — if I were to choose Kentucky — that would be a good fit for me. I feel like I’d be a great player for him, and he’d be a good coach for me.”
Momcilovic averaged a career-high 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 30.5 minutes per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 48.7 percent from three and 87.8 percent at the line. He knocked down 260 3-pointers, good for 3.7 makes on 7.5 attempts per contest.
The former four-star recruit has been Kentucky’s dream portal target all offseason. Now, he’s officially a free agent, pulling out of the draft ahead of the withdrawal deadline.
On Tuesday, head coach Mark Pope revealed that there will likely be no summer trip for the 2026-27 Wildcats.
“We’re probably a lean towards not going right now,” Pope told Darrell Bird of Cats Pause.
The NCAA recently adopted a proposal that will allow schools to take summer tours every year after the rules previously limited schools to one trip every four years. Even if it ended up being somewhere close by, this would’ve been a great experience for the Cats to get some exhibition games in, especially with the roster overhaul they’re going through.
Oh well. The good news is UK will still have plenty of summer practices to develop and build chemistry.
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoRescued sea lion pups released in Manhattan Beach
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoSunda New Asian brings bold flavors to Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoDriver Arrested After Pedestrian Killed, Three Injured In Mission District Crash
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoMcAllen Welcomes Texas Hockey | Dallas Stars
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoPair arrested in connection with armed home invasion robbery in Miami, cops say
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoSaturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoVon Miller lobbying Broncos to bring him back (here’s the latest update)
-
Seattle, WA3 hours agoSeattle travel alert: Massive road closures, light rail shutdowns this weekend
