Iowa State was near the top of the men’s basketball world at the start of the century.
The 1999-2000 Cyclones were a juggernaut, winning the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships and finishing 32-5.
That team also has the distinction of being the last Iowa State squad to advance to the Elite Eight.
Coach Larry Eustacy and stars such as Marcus Fizer and Jamaal Tinsley coasted to NCAA Tournament victories over Central Connecticut, Auburn and UCLA to advance to the regional final. The Elite Eight game didn’t go so well, with Michigan State winning a “home game” 75-64 in Auburn Hills, Mich.
The Cyclones had to settle for an outstanding season that ended one win shy of a Final Four.
Iowa State’s last Final Four? World War II was still raging in Europe and in the Pacific. The Cyclones lost in the NCAA semifinals in 1944.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: When was Iowa State basketball’s last trip to the Elite Eight?