NCAA Bracket 2012: How Iowa State Basketball Got To March Madness

The Iowa State Cyclones are dancing after finishing the 2012 season with a 22-10 record, including a 12-6 mark in conference play. The 12-6 record was good for a share of third place in the Big 12 with Baylor, behind powerhouses Kansas and Missouri. Still, the Cyclones' record rang a bit hollow.

A loss to Drake in the second game of the season sticks out like a sore thumb and wasn't the ideal way for Iowa State to get its season started. Just two weeks later, the Cyclones dropped back-to-back games to Northern Iowa and Michigan, the former of which also looms as a bad loss. Iowa State did rebound, though, winning seven straight stretching into the Big 12 conference slate.

Iowa State's signature win came at home against Kansas in January, two weeks after dropping a road game to the Jayhawks. To cap the regular season, Iowa State may have sealed its NCAA Tournament bid with a win over Baylor at home.

The Big 12 Tournament was a short affair for the Cyclones, though, as they went one-and-done with a loss to Texas. The loss put Iowa State on somewhat shaky ground, even after the third-place finish in the Big 12, but the Cyclones overcame question marks to earn their spot in March Madness.

Iowa State picked up the No. 8 seed in the South Region and will face UConn in the Second Round.

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