No. 7 Iowa State assuredly clinched a top-eight seed in the NCAA tournament with a 69-41 win over No. 1 Houston to win the Big 12 tournament on Saturday night.
The Cyclones sprinted away from the Cougars at the start of the second half after grabbing a 30-23 lead before halftime. Keshon Gilbert buried two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half as Iowa State stretched its lead to 20 with an 18-5 run to start the half.
After suffocating opponents all season long with its defense, Houston felt what it was like for opponents to play against the Cougars all season long.