Iowa State tied its NCAA Tournament Third Round game with Kentucky at 42 early in the second half. Then the Wildcats put on the sort of show that got them the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, turning on the afterburners for an easy 87-71 victory and passage to the Sweet Sixteen in the South Region.
Marquis Teague, often pinpointed as the weak link in a roster full of future NBA stars, carried UK on this day, shooting 10-of-14 from the field for 24 points, distributing seven assists, and committing just two turnovers. And Anthony Davis (15 points, 12 rebounds, five assists), Darius Miller (19 points, six rebounds, and four assists off the bench) and Doron Lamb (16 points) all had good-to-great days, too; the Wildcats' 20-2 run over six minutes in the middle of the second half felt like a beast waking up and devouring its prey.
And of that sells short how feisty Iowa State was. Royce White had 23 points and nine boards, and Chris Allen (16 points) and Scott Christopherson (15 points) both chipped in. The Cyclones just ran up against college basketball's bedrock truth this year: if Kentucky's playing well, and you're playing Kentucky, you're losing.
The Wildcats won't be without motivation for their Sweet Sixteen tilt, either. UK will take on Indiana, the only team to top it in regular season play, in Atlanta.
For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com's complete scoreboard.
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's Saturday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.
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