Iowa State clinched the second seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament and will face 15th seed Tennessee State on Friday in St. Louis.
The Cyclones (27–7, 12–6 Big 12) enter as overwhelming 24.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Tigers (23–9, 15–5 OVC) sit as a +2200 underdog.
Iowa State vs. Tennessee State Opening Odds
Iowa State is as dangerous as they come, sitting seventh in the AP Poll heading into the NCAA Tournament. Bolstered by one of the nation’s most formidable defenses, the Cyclones staged several impressive wins across the regular season, taking down St. John’s, Kansas, Houston, and even formerly first-ranked Purdue — trouncing the Boilermakers by 23 points at their house.
The 2024 Big 12 champions fell to Arizona, 82–80, in this season’s conference semifinal on Friday in Kansas City, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Tennessee State cruised to an Ohio Valley Conference championship with a 93–67 win over Morehead State on March 7, punching its first ticket to March Madness in 32 years.
The Tigers play at a rapid pace and led the OVC in scoring. They played just one game against a ranked opponent this season — a November matchup with No. 20 Tennessee — which resulted in an 89–60 thumping from the Volunteers.
