Iowa State basketball NCAA Tournament history
A look at Iowa State's basketball history in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 6 seed Tennessee (24-11) will play No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-7) Friday in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Tipoff between the Vols and Cyclones is slated for 10:10 p. m. EDT at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
TBS and truTV will televise the contest. Iowa State has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 25 times, including five consecutive appearances. The 2025-26 season marks the Cyclones' first Sweet 16 appearance for the first time since 2024.
Iowa State has reached the Sweet 16 eight times in program history (1986, 1997, 2000, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024, 2026). The Cyclones first appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1944, making their lone Final Four appearance. Iowa State advanced to the Elite Eight on two occasions in 1944 and 2000.