NCAA tournament preview: Iowa State vs. UAB

No. 3 Iowa State (25-8) vs. No. 14 UAB (19-15)

Time, TV: 12:40 p.m. ET, truTV

Where: Louisville

Why Iowa State will win: The Cyclones, No. 3 in the South, are riding a five-game winning streak, including a come-from-behind win against Kansas in the Big 12 title game, making them one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament. With a fast-paced offense and five players averaging double figures, they've been the rare aesthetically pleasing team to watch in what's been an ugly year.

Why UAB will win: The No. 14 seed would be elsewhere this week if the Blazers hadn't won the Conference USA tournament. UAB failed to crack the 50-point mark twice this year — though those games were against Wisconsin and Florida — and it skidded into the C-USA tourney with back-to-back losses. But the Blazers got hot at the right time, winning three in a row to win its first conference tournament championship.

History lesson: When Fred Hoiberg was playing at Iowa State, one of his best games came Jan. 14, 1995, against Kansas. The Jayhawk guarding him? None other than Jerod Haase, now UAB's coach. Hoiberg scored 32, including 17 in a row in the second half as Iowa State upset then-No. 3 Kansas 69-65.