Iowa State

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Iowa State men's basketball team may have lacked the history, but not the tougher players. The undersized, second-seeded Cyclones turned "Showtime" into dead air, high-stepping their way to an 80-56 rout of No. 6 seed UCLA last night in a Midwest Regional semifinal at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Iowa State (32-4) took some monumental steps to national respectability, advancing to its first regional final as well as collecting its first win over the legendary UCLA program.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The "magical" trip continues. Michigan State took another step closer to its first national championship since the days of Magic Johnson, proving it still has some late tricks of its own. For the third straight NCAA tournament game, the top-seeded Spartans rallied from a late second-half deficit, finishing with a 20-3 run in a 75-64 victory over second-seeded Iowa State in the Midwest Regional final last night. Michigan State (30-7) trailed by seven points with 5: 49 remaining before holding the Cyclones to one basket the rest of the way. Iowa State (32-5)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Iowa State dared to run with North Carolina yesterday. Let that be a lesson for anyone else left in the NCAA tournament foolish enough to indulge such delusions. The Tar Heels chased the Cyclones out of their vaunted zone trap in the first half, pounded them inside in the second, and cruised into the Sweet 16 with a 92-65 victory at Charlotte Coliseum. Consider this: In the NCAA's opening weekend, the top-seeded Tar Heels (29-4) crushed two opponents by 28 and 27 points, respectively.

COLLEGE PARK -- With the budget ax falling around him, business professor Richard Poist gave up his teaching job of 20 years at the University of Maryland.But there was a consolation -- another position in greener academic pastures with a substantially higher salary.Dr. Poist was not alone in abandoning ship at the business school on the College Park campus -- and other faculty members are thinking about it."You're certainly not going to get that [salary and position] from the University of Maryland," he said from Ames, Iowa, home of Iowa State University.

Augustine Pounds, an Anne Arundel Community College vice president, has received the Iowa State University Virgil S. Lagomarcino Laureate Award for prestigious service, educational leadership and commitment to teaching.The college vice president for student services, college development and intercollegiate athletics received her doctorate from Iowa State in 1980 and worked as an administrator and instructor from 1976 to 1989.She joined AACC in 1991.POLICE LOG* Candlewood: Someone stole a $300 Motor Cross bike Tuesday morning from a bike rack at Severna Park Middle School.

Heisman stock Rising: Oregon RB Onterrio Smith: 27-172, 3 TDs Falling: Iowa State QB Seneca Wallace: 4-22-43, 3 INT Top performers Andrew Walter, Arizona State QB: 31-53-536, 4 TDs Dustin Long, Texas A&M QB: 18-32-399, 3 TDs Upset of the day Arizona State: The Sun Devils rallied from a three-touch down deficit to beat No. 6 Oregon, 45-42.

Today's championship game No. 1 Michigan State (29-7) vs. No. 2 Iowa State (32-4) Site: Auburn Hills, Mich. Time: 7 p.m. TV: Chs. 13, 9 Line: Michigan State by 5 1/2 Conference records: Michigan State finished first in the Big 10 with a 13-3 record and followed a regular-season title with a tournament championship for the second straight season. Iowa State was 14-2 for first place in the Big 12 and captured its first conference title since 1945. Coaches: Tom Izzo is 117-48 in his fifth year with the Spartans, his only head-coaching experience.

Independence Bowl Iowa State (6-5) vs. Miami (Ohio) (8-4) Where: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La. Time, TV: 6:30 p.m., ESPN Key stats: Iowa State is 97th in the nation in total offense (321.8 ypg). Miami is 30th in the nation in total offense (408.0 ypg). About Iowa State: The Cyclones won four of their final five, to become bowl-eligible. If not for a season-ending home loss to Missouri, the Cyclones would've won the Big 12 North. The offense isn't much, and Iowa State must get good production from RB Stevie Hicks.

MEN'S THIRD ROUND ON TV Syracuse vs. Kansas State 13, 9Noon Gonzaga vs. Ohio State 13, 92:30 Marquette vs. Murray State 13, 95 Wisconsin vs. Vanderbilt TNT6 Indiana vs. VCU TBS7 Kentucky vs. Iowa State 13, 97:30 Baylor vs. Colorado TNT8:30 Louisville vs. New Mexico TBS9:30 WOMEN'S FIRST ROUND ON TV...

Kelechi Osemele at a glance Offensive lineman, Iowa State Ht./Wt.: 6 foot 5,  335 pounds Born: June 24, 1989, Houston, Texas High School: Langham Creek High College highlights:  He was a co-captain for the Cyclones in his senior season and was a 2011 first-team All-Big 12 selection. … He started 44 consecutive games and played in 49 games overall in his career. … He redshirted his freshman season in 2007. Personal: He capable of playing both tackle and guard.