Iowa State men's basketball vs. Nevada, NCAA tournament first round: Live updates

MILWAUKEE — The Iowa State men's basketball team played the part of a team that felt disrespected all week.

The coaches and players heard pundits picking No. 12 seed Nevada to upset them in the first round of the NCAA tournament. No. 5 seed Iowa State used that to help fuel an 84-73 win against Nevada on Thursday night.

Iowa State (24-10) will play No. 4 seed Purdue at approximately 8:40 p.m. Saturday with a second-straight trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

In preparations for the Wolf Pack (28-7), Iowa State felt like it was watching a version of themselves on film. Their reputation as a team of scorers surfaced in the second half.

Nevada, once down by 15 in the first half, cut its deficit to 55-51 while Iowa State point guard Monte Morris went to the bench with three fouls. The Cyclones responded with a 7-0 run in 80 seconds to push back ahead 11 with eight minutes left.

The Wolf Pack cut the lead back to five with roughly three minutes left, but Morris made five-straight free throws to cushion the Cyclones' lead.

Morris had 19 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds while guards Deonte Burton (14), Naz Mitrou-Long (13), Matt Thomas (13) and Donovan Jackson (12) all scored in double figures. Cameron Oliver led the Wolf Pack with 22 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Caroline chipped in 20 points and eight boards.

Iowa State shot 56 percent to Nevada's 40 percent, but did most of its defensive work in the first half. The Wolf Pack were just 9-of-30 from the field in the first 20 minutes. The Cyclones had 17 defensive rebounds on 30 missed shots in the first half.

Nevada and Iowa State went 13-for-16 and 16-for-18, respectively, from the free-throw line. The Wolf Pack had advantages in second chance points and fast break points, but Iowa State had a 34-32 advantage in points in the paint and a 20-4 edge in bench points.

Senior forward Darrell Bowie added eight points and five rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

Cold shooting plagued both teams at the tip, but Iowa State was able to snap out of it first by doing what it always does. It let Morris become a creator and distributor.

After a 7-7 tie and 13-9 ISU lead, the Cyclones raced out to a 23-14 advantage after 12 minutes. They collected seven more rebounds than the Wolf Pack, who were just 6-of-21 shooting through the first dozen minutes.

Iowa State ballooned its lead to double digits during the next 4 1/2 minutes. It led by as many as 15 after a quick 7-0 run. The Cyclones made five of their last six shots to end the half, including a dunk by Solomon Young off an alley-oop from Deonte Burton, to lead 40-27 at the break.

The Cyclones have won at least one NCAA tournament game in five of their last six trips, and will look for a second-straight trip to the Sweet 16 against the Boilermakers. Purdue beat Vermont 80-70 on Thursday evening, setting up a matchup Saturday that will be a clash of styles.

l Comments: montzdylan@gmail.com