No. 11 Iowa State Upsets Johnny Davis, No. 3 Wisconsin to Advance to Sweet 16

Iowa State is moving on to the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament following a 54-49 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

This is the sixth time the Cyclones have advanced to the regional semifinals and their first trip since 2016.

Wisconsin and Iowa State ranked 218th and 245th, respectively, in adjusted tempo on KenPom.com, and both teams were content to play with a deliberate pace. They combined for just 25 points midway through the first half, and Iowa State clung to a 27-26 halftime lead after Caleb Grill scored at the buzzer.

The tempo picked up a bit in the second half, but neither team could string multiple productive possessions together. Iowa State shot 34.5 percent from the floor, which was at least better than Wisconsin (29.5 percent) fared.

With the Badgers down five points inside the final minute, Steven Crowl missed a three-pointer and Jordan Davis was unable to score after collecting the offensive rebound. Those misses represented Wisconsin's last real opportunity to come back.

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Notable Performers

Gabe Kalscheur, G, Iowa State: 22 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals

Tyrese Hunter, G, Iowa State: four points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals

Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin: 17 points, nine rebounds, one assist, two steals, four blocks

Brad Davison, G, Wisconsin: 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals

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Kalscheur Steps Up for Cyclones

Izaiah Brockington and Tyrese Hunter have been Iowa State's top two leading scorers throughout this season. Their contributions Sunday night fell below expectations, as they collectively finished with 14 points.

Luckily for the Cyclones, Gabe Kalscheur rose to the occasion. The senior guard was a steady source of offense.

In the second half, Kalscheur accounted for seven straight points as his team went on a 9-0 run to take an eight-point lead with 12:40 left. That gap felt much larger because of how little Wisconsin was getting from its offense.

Kalscheur went to the bench shortly thereafter, at which point Iowa State couldn't buy a bucket. His return sparked another positive spell.

The Cyclones defense did a great job of stymying Wisconsin, too, whenever the Badgers looked like they were building a head of steam.

Kalscheur's one-man show was enough to get it done against Wisconsin. Iowa State will likely need more from Hunter and Brockington in order to continue on to the Elite Eight, though.

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Hepburn Injury Hamstrings Badgers

Chucky Hepburn was Wisconsin's assist leader entering Sunday, averaging 2.4 dimes per game. For the majority of this game, the Badgers had to forge ahead without the freshman guard after he appeared to suffer a left ankle injury in the first half.

Hepburn was no small loss. Points were at a premium and the Big Ten regular season co-champions didn't have the services of their best playmaker.

The injury also put even more onto the shoulders of Johnny Davis.

The impact of Hepburn's absence was evident in Wisconsin's turnover numbers. The Badgers turned the ball over the second-fewest times (8.4) in Division I and coughed it up 17 times against Iowa State.

Compounding matters, the trio of Davis, Crowl and Tyler Wahl battled foul trouble all game. Coach Greg Gard had to go much deeper into his rotation than he had planned.

Even though it wasn't all his fault, Davis, the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year, will likely rue what was a nondescript performance by his usual standards.

This was a difficult end to an otherwise fantastic season for Davis and Wisconsin. 

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What's Next?

Iowa State awaits the winner of No. 2 Auburn vs. No. 10 Miami.