The Iowa State Cyclones and the Ole Miss Rebels are set to face one another in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 23.
Tip-off is set for 6:45 p.m. central on truTV.
Iowa State (25-9), a No. 3 seed, is coming off an 82-55 win over No. 14 seed Lipscomb on Friday. Ole Miss (23-11), a No. 6 seed, is coming off a 71-64 win over No. 11 seed North Carolina on Friday.
Iowa State is seeking its third trip to the Sweet 16 in four seasons under head coach T.J. Otzelberger. Ole Miss is seeking its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2001 after winning its first NCAA Tournament game since 2015.
Here is a preview of the game.
How to Watch Iowa State vs. Ole Miss
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
Time: 6:45 p.m. CT
TV Channel: truTV
Site: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, N.C.
Iowa State vs. Ole Miss Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: Iowa State -4.5
Current Line: Iowa State -5.5
Over/Under: 145.5
Iowa State vs. Ole Miss Predictions
Iowa State is without guard Keshon Gilbert for the rest of the season due to injury. He didn’t make the trip to Milwaukee for the sub-regional. Without him, the Cyclones made easy work of Lipscomb behind a big performance from Milan Momcilovic, who is from Pewaukee, Wis.
Tamin Lipsey’s return from injury allowed the Cyclones to get back to a normal alignment, with Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Curtis Jones coming off the bench to give Iowa State instant offense. One figures as the games get tougher, the rotation will get tighter, perhaps no more than eight players. But the absences of Lipsey and Gilbert have allowed other players to get some run, and that could come in handy if Iowa State advances.
There may not be a more disliked coach by the Big 12 fan base than Chris Beard, who now leads Ole Miss. Everyone knows why Texas Tech hates him. The rest of the fan base was turned off by allegations of domestic abuse while he was at Texas, charges that were eventually dropped. But it still cost him his job. He’s also taken in former Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams, who left Lubbock under his own cloud after a suspension due to “inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment” with players.
Beard is doing what he does — turning a program around. Ole Miss hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game in a decade before Friday’s win. Six players are averaging double figures, led by Sean Pedulla.
This is a pair of Top 20 Ken Pom defenses, which is no real surprise, given the coaches. It’s the kind of game that Iowa State was constructed to win.
Iowa State 72, Ole Miss 68
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Iowa State 70.8% Chance of Winning
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
