Kentucky Falls to Iowa State in NCAA Tournament
Denzel Aberdeen scored 20 points, but seventh-seeded Kentucky fell to second-seeded Iowa State 82-63 on Sunday in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in St. Louis.
Kentucky (22-14) got 18 points from Otega Oweh, but no other Wildcat was in double figures. Turnovers were huge in the game, with UK committing 20 while ISU committed just seven. The Cyclones had 25 points off of Kentucky’s turnovers, while UK had 12 points off of Iowa State’s miscues.
Iowa State scored the game’s first two points before Oweh broke free for a dunk to tie the score. The Cats would take the lead on a Collin Chandler three and would extend the lead on a Aberdeen layup. Chandler would hit another three to give UK a 10-2 lead early. The Cyclones scored the next four to cut the UK lead to 10-6.
Aberdeen hit back-to-back threes and Mo Dioubate scored on a tip-in to give UK an 18-6 lead. Iowa State scored the next three before Dioubate scored on a dunk to give the Cats a 20-9 advantage. However, the Cyclones scored the next 11 to tie the game.
An Aberdeen layup gave Kentucky the lead back and an Oweh three extended the lead to 25-20. After an Iowa State three, Kam Williams made one of his own at the Cats led 28-23. Two Malachi Moreno free throws stretched the lead to seven, but Iowa State scored the final eight points of the half and took a 31-30 lead into the half.
Iowa State scored the first points of the second half, hitting a three to lead by four. An Oweh layup cut the deficit in half, but the Cyclones scored to again lead by four. Andrija Jelavic got the Cats within two again, but Iowa State hit a three to lead 39-34.
Two Moreno free throws got the Cats within three, but Iowa State responded with two free throws and a basket to lead by seven. After two Aberdeen free throws, the Cyclones scored the next three to lead by eight.
Oweh scored to cut the deficit to 46-40, but Iowa State went on a 13-1 run to lead by 18. Oweh scored again, but the Cyclones responded, maintaining a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
