NCAA tournament: Sunday’s Midwest Region review

What a dream scenario for Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger. In his first season as Cyclones coach, he has led a team that won all of two games last season to the NCAA tournament’s second weekend, securing a Midwest Region Sweet 16 berth in his hometown of Milwaukee. Now this improbable journey continues, with Iowa State playing in the regional semifinal just five hours down the road from Ames at the United Center in Chicago.

And when Jim Larranaga gets a team to believe, look out. Sixteen years after he led 11th-seeded George Mason to the Final Four, he now has another double-digit seed in the Sweet 16 in guard-dominant Miami.

Here’s a look at what happened Sunday in the Midwest Region.

Most impressive performance, team: Miami. After significant early-season struggles, Miami now has a formula for success with this small-ball roster. The Hurricanes have ball-hawking guards who force turnovers. And they value possessions and rarely turn the ball over. In fact, in two tournament games, Miami turned the ball over a total of seven times. Sunday’s was a virtuoso performance by Miami against a talented Auburn team that had designs on winning the national title. The well-traveled Charlie Moore is now headed to his hometown of Chicago for the Sweet 16. Larranaga calls Moore his Chris Paul.

Most impressive performance, individual: Iowa State G Gabe Kalscheur. If someone told you Iowa State’s two leading scorers would have subpar games, you’d probably think that would be a recipe for disaster for the Cyclones. Well, Kalscheur — a senior transfer from Minnesota who is quite familiar with Wisconsin from his days in the Big Ten — picked up the scoring responsibilities and then some. He scored 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, tossing in more than double his season average of 9.4 points per game. He also had four rebounds and two steals. Iowa State’s leading scorer this season, Izaiah Brockington, finished with 10 points, more than seven below his season average. And the hero of the first-round upset of LSU, freshman Tyrese Hunter, was 1-of-10 from the floor, finishing with four points. 

Hard to understand: It was shocking how mightily Auburn big men Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith struggled throughout. Kessler battled early foul trouble and finished 0-of-6 from the field; he did hit two free throws. Smith, a potential top-three pick in June’s NBA draft, was 3-of-16 from the floor, finishing with 10 points. Overall, Auburn’s shot selection left a lot to be desired. The Tigers managed to slice a 14-point deficit to eight points but a frenetic sequence did not pan out well for Bruce Pearl’s team. Game, set, match.

What you’ll be talking about from the Midwest Region on Monday: The bottom of the Midwest Region bracket includes two unlikely regional semifinal participants in No. 10 Miami and No. 11 Iowa State. Both Power 5 teams had high moments during the regular season that were offset by inconsistent streaks. Doesn’t matter. They are thriving now, and one is destined to play in the Elite Eight. Both are capable of knocking off elite teams.

Key numbers: Iowa State earned its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2016. … This was a dismal offensive effort by Wisconsin. The Badgers scored a season-low 49 points. They were 2-of-22 from 3-point range. And they committed 17 turnovers. … Miami had 10 steals, Auburn 1. … Miami turned the ball over only four times … The Hurricanes managed to win despite going just 3-of-15 from 3-point range and losing the rebounding battle 43-34. … Auburn was 21-of-69 from the field, including 5-of-26 from 3-point range. … Four Miami starters scored in double figures.

Game results

No. 10 Miami 79, No. 2 Auburn 61

Main takeaway: The Hurricanes controlled the game from start to finish. In terms of execution, this was almost a perfect game by Miami. The Hurricanes forced turnovers, created transition offense and protected the ball. Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 21 points.
Up next: Miami vs. No. 11 Iowa State in Sweet 16, Friday in Chicago

No. 11 Iowa State 54, No. 3 Wisconsin 49

Main takeaway: Wisconsin’s offense was disjointed and stagnant without freshman PG Chucky Hepburn, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half and was relegated to crutches and a walking boot in the second half. It’s been a long time since the usually precise, efficient Badgers offense struggled this mightily. The absence of Hepburn, who played more than 31 minutes per game this season, had a significant impact. But that shouldn’t take away from the inspired play of Iowa State, which had entered the NCAA tournament seemingly on fumes after an uneven regular season. The Cyclones are surging now.
Up next: Iowa State vs. No. 10 Miami in Sweet 16, Friday in Chicago