Program history
Iowa State
in the tournament.
Iowa State appears in 25 tournaments in this archive, between 1944 and 2026, with an all-time record of 26–25.
6 of its 12 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2022, when an 11th seed beat the 3rd-seeded Wisconsin 54–49. The reverse happened in 2001: as a 2nd seed it lost to the 15th-seeded Hampton 58–57.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 6, from 2012 to 2017. Its longest absence ran 41 years, between 1944 and 1985. It has met UCLA 4 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 2nd seed and as low as a 13th.
- 25 Appearances
- 26–25 All-time record
- 0 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | — | 14–4 | Louis Menze | Big Six | National Semifinals |
| 1985 | 13 | 21–13 | Johnny Orr | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Ohio State, 64–75 |
| 1986 | 7 | 22–11 | Johnny Orr | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to NC State, 66–70 |
| 1988 | 12 | 20–12 | Johnny Orr | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Georgia Tech, 78–90 |
| 1989 | 10 | 17–12 | Johnny Orr | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 1 to UCLA, 74–84 |
| 1992 | 10 | 21–13 | Johnny Orr | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Kentucky, 98–106 |
| 1993 | 8 | 20–11 | Johnny Orr | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 1 to UCLA, 70–81 |
| 1995 | 7 | 23–11 | Tim Floyd | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Second round to North Carolina, 51–73 |
| 1996 | 5 | 24–9 | Tim Floyd | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Utah, 67–73 |
| 1997 | 6 | 22–9 | Tim Floyd | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Regional Semifinal to UCLA, 73–74 (OT) |
| 2000 | 2 | 32–5 | Larry Eustachy | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Regional Final to Michigan State, 64–75 |
| 2001 | 2 | 25–6 | Larry Eustachy | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Hampton, 57–58 |
| 2005 | 9 | 19–12 | Wayne Morgan | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to North Carolina, 65–92 |
| 2012 | 8 | 23–11 | Fred Hoiberg | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Kentucky, 71–87 |
| 2013 | 10 | 23–12 | Fred Hoiberg | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Ohio State, 75–78 |
| 2014 | 3 | 28–8 | Fred Hoiberg | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to UConn, 76–81 |
| 2015 | 3 | 25–9 | Fred Hoiberg | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to UAB, 59–60 |
| 2016 | 4 | 23–12 | Steve Prohm | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Virginia, 71–84 |
| 2017 | 5 | 24–11 | Steve Prohm | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Purdue, 76–80 |
| 2019 | 6 | 23–12 | Steve Prohm | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Ohio State, 59–62 |
| 2022 | 11 | 22–13 | T. J. Otzelberger | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Miami (FL), 56–70 |
| 2023 | 6 | 19–14 | T. J. Otzelberger | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Pittsburgh, 41–59 |
| 2024 | 2 | 29–8 | T. J. Otzelberger | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Illinois, 69–72 |
| 2025 | 3 | 25–10 | T. J. Otzelberger | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Ole Miss, 78–91 |
| 2026 | 2 | 29–8 | T. J. Otzelberger | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Tennessee, 62–76 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 1–2 |
| Round of 64 | 17–8 |
| Round of 32 | 7–7 |
| Round of 8 | 0–1 |
| Semifinal | 1–7 |
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