Elite Eight: Lost to Michigan State, 75-64

Iowa State is led by Marcus Fizer, the Big 12 Player of the Year, who is as good as any player around. The Cyclones are a surprising team because they aren't very deep. When they come on the floor, Fizer is 6-foot-8 and everyone else is basically shorter than 6-4.

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Paul Shirley, a 6-foot-9 reserve who is the Cyclones' tallest player, broke his foot in a late-season game against Texas. I don't know if he will be ready for the NCAA Tournament. If he's not, it hurts them.

Defensively, Iowa State is solid. The Cyclones are well-coached and play tough man-to-man defense. They will play three guards who are all physically strong and defend well on the perimeter.

Offensively, the Cyclones are patient. Jamaal Tinsley is as good with the basketball as any point guard in the country. He controls and does a nice job with the tempo. Most teams have a hard time keeping him out of the paint. He doesn't score much, but he can penetrate and either get the ball to Fizer and pass it out to Michael Nurse or Kantrail Horton. Both are terrific 3-point shooters. Stevie Johnson is a complementary 6-4 player who plays around the basket and shot 67 percent from the field for the year. He's a player no one notices, but he does all the little things.

Depth and size could be a problem because Fizer can't afford to get into foul trouble. Teams will pound on him and wear him down. They could have problems against teams with size. But I think they should definitely be a Sweet 16 team. -- Jon Sundvold, ESPN

ROSTER

No	Name	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Rebounds	Assists	Points
-	Brad Davis	G	-	-	-	0.7	0.3	0.9
-	Brandon Nicol	F	-	-	-	0.2	0.5	0.6
-	Clint Varley	G	-	-	-	1.1	0.1	0.6
-	Jason Fries	F	-	-	-	0.5	0.1	0.9
3	Richard Evans	GF	6-5	190	JR	2.2	0.2	2.1
4	Kantrail Horton	G	6-1	225	JR	4.3	2.7	9.1
5	Marcus Fizer	F	6-7	265	JR	7.5	1.0	23.3
11	Jamaal Tinsley	G	6-3	175	JR	5.2	6.7	10.8
12	Brandon Hawkins	G	6-3	185	FR	2.2	0.9	3.2
15	Martin Rancik	F	6-8	230	JR	3.9	0.4	5.4
21	Thomas Watkins	G	6-2	220	JR	0.5	0.2	3.0
23	Stevie Johnson	F	6-4	225	SR	6.0	1.2	9.0
34	Kyle Brumm	G	6-1	185	FR	0.5	0.0	0.0
45	Paul Shirley	F	6-9	230	JR	4.6	0.4	7.8
53	Michael Nurse	G	6-2	175	SR	2.7	2.2	12.5