NCAA tournament: Tyrese Hunter's threes help No. 11 Iowa State hang on vs. No. 6 LSU

Iowa State nearly coughed up an 11-point second-half lead in its upset win over LSU on Friday night but got bailed out by Tyrese Hunter.

The No. 11 Cyclones knocked off No. 6 LSU 59-54 in the first round of the Midwest Region in the men's NCAA tournament, thanks to two huge 3-pointers from Hunter in the final two minutes. His first three extended Iowa State’s lead to four points at 54-50 and gave the Cyclones a crucial two-possession lead.

His second three sealed the game. Hunter hit a deep three from the right wing with less than 20 seconds to go and the shot clock about to expire to give Iowa State a five-point lead.

Iowa State led 50-39 with 7:12 to go after Izaiah Brockington hit a three. But LSU was able to whittle the lead down to three before Brockington finally scored again for the Cyclones with less than three minutes to go.

LSU got within one with 2:13 to go before Hunter’s three. Darius Days missed three of four free throws on consecutive possessions, sandwiching Hunter’s first crucial field goal. Days had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers.

LSU’s last lead came with 17:50 to go in the first half. The Tigers — who entered the tournament with interim coach Kevin Nickelberry at the helm after Will Wade’s firing because of potential NCAA violations — were forced to play catchup for most of the game and couldn’t capitalize when they finally got close to the Cyclones. LSU turned the ball over 19 times and was just 4-of-19 from 3-point range.

Hunter finished the game with 23 points and was 7-of-11 from deep. He and Brockington (19 points) were the only Iowa State players in double figures while Tari Eason led LSU with 18 points off the bench.

Iowa State snuck into the NCAA tournament in coach T.J. Otzelberger’s first season as one of the last teams to avoid the First Four play-in tournament. The Cyclones started the season 12-0 before conference play but finished 7-11 in Big 12 play, thanks to a four-game losing streak during the middle of the season and a three-game losing streak at the end of the season that was capped off with a 31-point loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament.

Seven wins in the Big 12 this season was an accomplishment. The league might have been the toughest in college basketball. And Iowa State went 2-22 and 0-18 in the Big 12 in 2020-21. Losing to LSU in the first round of the tournament wouldn't mar a fantastic turnaround.

Now the Cyclones are set to play in the second round on Sunday while LSU starts its search for a new coach in earnest. Wade was fired after LSU was eliminated from the SEC tournament after an NCAA notice of allegations. This season was the second time LSU had made the NCAA tournament but wasn't coached by Wade. Wade was suspended for the 2019 postseason after he was infamously caught on an FBI wiretap talking about a "strong-ass offer" for a recruit in a pay-for-play attempt.