NCAA Basketball
2026-03-20 - Tennessee State Tigers at Iowa State Cyclones
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NCAA Basketball Tournament First Round
Friday 20th March 2026 - Scheduled 2:50pm
6:50pm (British Time)
Preview
A narrow loss in the Semi Final of the Big 12 Tournament is a reminder of how good this Iowa State Cyclones (27-7) team could be- they were handed one of the Number 2 Seeds ahead of the NCAA Tournament and the Cyclones are expected to blitz through this First Round game.
Taking any opponent for granted during March Madness would be a big mistake though and the Tennessee State Tigers (23-9) did win the OVC Tournament to earn an automatic bid for a place in the Bracket. They topped the Conference in the regular season as well, but the Tigers will be well aware of the kind of challenges they face right from the opening tip.
Thirty-two years have passed since Tennessee State have been able to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament and they will want to enjoy the experience. They push the tempo on the Offensive side of the court, but the Tigers have to be wary about taking too many chances against this Iowa State Cyclones Defensive scheme that have created turnover after turnover.
It is the Defensive unit that will earn the Cyclones plenty of respect, but this is not a team that are only focusing on that side of the court. Instead they are using the quick hands to turn the ball over and put this Offense in the best position to make plays and Iowa State do average over 80 points per game, which makes them very dangerous.
Tamin Lipsey is trending towards suiting up, which will help the Cyclones no end, and they will be confident they can find the right schemes to take away the big Tigers threats.
Tennessee State have won six in a row, and that will give the team some confidence, but bridging this gap is going to be very difficult. Head Coach Nolan Smith has experience from his playing days that he can offer to his team, and the Tigers could keep this close for a half, but the Iowa State Cyclones may end up having too much at both ends of the court.
Prediction
Turnovers could be the key for the Cyclones in the bid to cover this big spread and Iowa State have shown enough Offensively to believe they can do that.
All credit has to be given to the Tennessee State Tigers for making it back to the Big Dance for the first time since 1994, but this could be a big step up for the OVC Champions and that may show up on the final scoreboard.
The Pick :
Iowa State Cyclones 87-59 Tennessee State Tigers
