Iowa State basketball is back in action Sunday as the 2-seed Cyclones take on 7-seed Kentucky with a ticket to next weekend’s Sweet 16 on the line.
T.J. Otzelberger’s crew dominated in their March Madness first-round game, taking down Tennessee State 108-74. Kentucky made it to the second round thanks to an 89-84 overtime win over Santa Clara on Friday.
Follow along for live score updates and highlights from this NCAA Tournament Round of 32 game.
2H/20:00- Iowa State 31, Kentucky 30
Back underway for the second half. Can ISU capitalize on the momentum it had to end the first half?
HALFTIME: Iowa State 31, Kentucky 30
Check out the box score from the first half:
HALFTIME: Iowa State 31, Kentucky 30
Nate Heise drills a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Cyclones to take a 1-point lead into the break.
Kentucky is hurting itself with a plethora of turnovers and the Cyclones are driving to the lane and drawing fouls. Iowa State has 31 points and 10 of those came from the charity stripe.
1H/2:52- Kentucky 28, Iowa State 23
The Cyclones finally hit a 3-pointer, thanks to Milan, and the Cyclones’ defense was unrelenting for large parts of the last 10 minutes. But Kentucky started making some shots and looked to be finding its groove again ahead of the last media timeout. Iowa State, meanwhile, is 1 for its last 12 from the floor.
1H/7:56- Kentucky 22, Iowa State 20
The Wildcats snap an 11-0 Cyclone run with a layup and-1 at the rim. They’ll be shooting a free throw, their first of the game, on the other side of this media timeout.
Cyclones are in the bonus already. Safe to say you can expect a lot more free throws for the rest of this half.
1H/9:33- Kentucky 20, Iowa State 18
It’s a 9-0 run for the Cyclones, fueled in large part by Kentucky turnovers and free throws on the other end. Iowa State is still struggling from the field, but it’s finding ways to get to the line and converting. Cyclones are 6-for-9 from the charity stripe compared to Kentucky’s 0 FTs attempted.
1H/11:30- Kentucky 20, Iowa State 9
Defensive intensity is starting to come out a bit for the Cyclones after Kentucky had been running things over the first 6+ minutes. Still no 3-pointers for Iowa State, but Milan did get fouled on his last shot and will be at the line shooting three free throws on the other side of this media timeout.
1H/15:26- Kentucky 10, Iowa State 4
Kentucky has come out as the hotter team, with Iowa State hitting just two buckets out of eight shots attempted from the field. Even on thier second bucket, it was an ugly shot from Killyan Toure that fell short of everything, but Nate Heise was there for the putback.
1H/20:00- Iowa State 0, Kentucky 0
Iowa State wins the tip and we’re underway from St. Louis. Winner moves on, loser goes home.
Starting lineups announced
We’re about nine minutes away from tip. Here’s the starting 5 for each team.
Iowa State:
- Tamin Lipsey
- Milan Momcilovic
- Nate Heise
- Blake Buchanan
Kentucky:
- Otega Oweh
- Denzel Aberdeen
- Collin Chandler
- Andrija Jelavic
- Malachi Moreno
Almost time for tip-off
We’re about 15 minutes away from tip between Iowa State and Kentucky. Winner moves on to the Sweet 16, loser goes home. Be sure to refresh this page often for the latest score updates and highlights.
A look at Joshua Jefferson
The Iowa State star is watching warmup in street clothes from the sideline. Still wearing a boot and on the knee scooter.
Joshua Jefferson (ankle), who was ruled out for today’s game vs. Kentucky, is watching onwards as both teams warmup. Tipoff in about 20 min pic.twitter.com/kpU7HfKNuC
— Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) March 22, 2026
Iowa State predictions vs Kentucky: March Madness second round
After Joshua Jefferson went down in the first round, several role players stepped up against an inferior opponent. It seems likely those role players will come down to earth against a better foe. Unless Milan Momcilovic gets hot early or Tamin Lipsey has a breakout scoring game, the Cyclones might struggle to find consistent offense.
Kentucky is susceptible to lapses, so ISU can’t be ruled out even without Jefferson, especially since they pride themselves on defense. But the Wildcats are undoubtedly fired up after their thrilling overtime win and clutch shot, which might be enough to ignite a deeper run than initially expected.
Kentucky 77, Iowa State 71— Gus Martin
Potentially being without Jefferson is tough, but if Heise and Killyan Toure can keep scoring as they did in the first round, that’ll go a long way for the Cyclones. Iowa State has to stay true to its identity, with physicality and disruptive defense. Kentucky’s size and athleticism may present problems, but the Cyclones have depth they can rely on. The margin for error shrinks without Jefferson, but the Cyclones will aim to survive and advance, and hope that he’ll be in good shape for next week. Prediction: Iowa State 79, Kentucky 73
— Eugene Rapay
How Iowa State and Kentucky match up
Without Jefferson, Iowa State might look very different against a higher-caliber team like Kentucky. Not only does his scoring and playmaking often carry Iowa State’s offense, but his size and athleticism would be needed against Kentucky’s roster.
Both teams are physical, so expect a scrappy game throughout that might come down to which side is hitting 3s on that particular day.
Iowa State vs Kentucky start time in NCAA bracket
- Date: Sunday, March 22
- Time: 1:45 p.m. CT
- Location: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Iowa State and Kentucky will play at approximately 1:45 p.m. CT at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
What channel is Iowa State vs Kentucky on today in March Madness?
- TV channel: CBS
- Stream: NCAA March Madness Live app | FUBO (free trial)
No Joshua Jefferson for the Cyclones today
The star Iowa State forward will miss today’s game against Kentucky. Read more about it by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State vs Kentucky, live March Madness score, highlights, TV info