Iowa State men’s basketball: Latest ESPN bracketology has Cyclones as fourth seed

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi posted his latest bracket projections on Thursday, and he drops the Iowa State Cyclones to a 4-seed in the East region.

Feb 3, 2014; Stillwater, OK, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Dustin Hogue (22) grabs a loose ball from Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Le”bryan Nash (2) at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Iowa State defeated Oklahoma State in triple overtime 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Cyclones would take on the North Dakota State Bison. They’re projected to win the Summit League, currently holding a one-game lead in the standings with a 7-2 record in conference play and an 18-6 record overall.

Iowa State may struggle with the three-time defending champions in FCS football next season, but they would hold a firm advantage in the basketball matchup. NDSU has just one win in the top 100 RPI (67th-ranked Delaware) and are just 8-5 on the road with losses to North Dakota (10-12) and Denver (12-11), both with an RPI of over 151.

Before getting dismantled by West Virginia on Monday night, Lunardi had Iowa State as a 3-seed in the East region against Belmont.

• The Big 12 leads the field with seven teams making the tournament. West Virginia finally breaks into the field with a play-in game against former Big East foe Georgetown. First one to break 40 points wins.
• Other Big 12 highlights: Kansas has a 3-seed and would now take on Belmont. Texas has a 5-seed and would take on Toledo.
• Oklahoma State still has a firm grip in a tournament selection despite everything that’s gone wrong. Lunardi still has them as a 9-seed and they would take on former top-25 team Massachusetts.
• Iowa currently has a 5-seed, and they would play the winner of that play-in game between the Mountaineers and Hoyas.