Iowa State's March Madness bracket opponent is South Dakota St. to open 2024 NCAA Tournament
AMES – Iowa State won’t have to travel far to begin its quest for the program’s first Final Four in 80 years.
The Cyclones are a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play No. 15 South Dakota State on Thursday in the first round at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. The game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT (TruTV).
Iowa State is 27-7 on the season, finishing as runner-up in the Big 12 regular season and winning the conference tournament against No. 1 Houston on Saturday.
If the Cyclones, who are in the East region, advance to the second round, they will face No. 7 Washington State or No. 10 Drake on Saturday. Defending champion Connecticut is the East's No. 1 seed.
Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in the East region will be played the following week at TD Garden in Boston. State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., is the host of the Final Four.
Iowa State last reached the Final Four in 1944.
The Jackrabbits are an interesting first-round matchup for the Cyclones. Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger began his head coaching career at South Dakota State, and his assistant, Eric Henderson, took over after his departure. This is the second NCAA Tournament Henderson has lead South Dakota State to.
The Jackrabbits went 22-12 this season and won the Summit League Tournament.
Iowa State has now made three straight NCAA Tournaments for the third time in program history (1995-97; 2012-17). The Cyclones are 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament under Otzelberger after reaching the Sweet 16 in 2022 and losing in the first round in 2023.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State’s March Madness opponent is South Dakota St. in 2024 NCAA Tournament
