Iowa State senior Nate Heise did not endear himself to Big Blue Nation with his message after his team’s win over Kentucky.
2-seed Iowa State left 7-seed Kentucky in the dust in the second half of their NCAA Tournament clash to win an 82-63 affair at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. The Cyclones outscored the Wildcats 51-33 over the final 20 minutes to turn what was a tight contest into a blowout.
After the game, Heise claimed his team was not surprised in the slightest to see Kentucky collapse with its March Madness life on the line.
“That’s something that we kind of identified before the game, the potential for them to do that,” Heise told reporters. “The way that we just turned them over and played our defense to where it didn’t look like they could do anything else.
“When you get them to that point, it’s like ‘Let’s just be done.’ I think that’s their mindset.”
Nate Heise said Iowa State identified the chance of Kentucky lying down if the Cyclones took a big lead. ISU outscored UK 51-33 in the second half and forced 20 total turnovers.
— Alec Busse (@alec_busse) March 22, 2026
"When you get them to that point, it's like 'Let's just be done.' I think that's their mindset." pic.twitter.com/doI6KPlHNk
Heise’s take may have been harsh, but it’s hard to argue against Iowa State completely outplaying Kentucky in the second half. The Cyclones led 39-36 three minutes after the break, then proceeded to go on a 31-11 run that gradually had the Wildcats look more and more deflated.
Heise tallied 12 points on 5/8 shooting with 3 assists in the contest, finishing as one of four Iowa State players in double figures. The Cyclones march on to the Sweet 16, where the 6-seed Tennessee Volunteers await them.
