There seems to be quite a divide in the national perception of Iowa State heading into the NCAA Tournament. They’re either a sleeper final four team, or a team on upset watch in their first round matchup.
The rationale is pretty simple. Iowa State is one of the hottest teams in the country, but has some obvious flaws on the interior, and Nevada is a quality opponent that Kenpom ranks between at-large teams like USC and Seton Hall. They even have maybe the most improbable comeback of all time, winning 105-104 in OT at New Mexico after being down 25 with 11 minutes left and 14 with just over a minute remaining.