Arizona, Iowa State Set for Big 12 Tournament Semifinal Clash

Top-seeded Wildcats and fifth-seeded Cyclones meet with a spot in the championship game on the line

Mar. 13, 2026 at 3:35pm

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The top-seeded Arizona Wildcats and fifth-seeded Iowa State Cyclones will face off in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament on Friday night. Arizona, ranked No. 2 in the nation, is projected to be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, while Iowa State has won its first two tournament games by a combined 71 points. The teams met once during the regular season, with Arizona recording a 73-57 home victory on March 2.

Why it matters

This matchup between two of the top teams in the country provides a potential "final four" preview, as both programs are aiming to make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. The winner will advance to the Big 12 championship game, which could further solidify their seeding for the Big Dance.

The details

Arizona (30-2) routed eighth-seeded UCF 81-59 in the quarterfinals, while Iowa State (27-6) outclassed fourth-seeded Texas Tech 75-53. In their regular-season meeting, Arizona's Jaden Bradley scored 17 points, and the Wildcats outrebounded the Cyclones 40-33 while holding them to just 29.2% shooting from the field and 7-of-30 from 3-point range.

  • The semifinal matchup will take place on Friday, March 13, 2026.
  • Arizona and Iowa State met in the regular season on March 2, 2026, with Arizona winning 73-57.

The players

Tommy Lloyd

Head coach of the Arizona Wildcats.

T.J. Otzelberger

Head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones.

Jaden Bradley

Big 12 Player of the Year and Arizona Wildcats player.

Joshua Jefferson

Iowa State Cyclones player who posted double-doubles in the team's first two tournament wins.

Tamin Lipsey

Iowa State Cyclones player who made four 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the win over Texas Tech.

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What they’re saying

“It's a monster. It's a monster. We've been in it two years. Every game's tough. There's no easy games.”

— Tommy Lloyd, Head coach, Arizona Wildcats (statenews.net)

“(It's) not too long ago that we went down to Tucson. And you know that was a game that, truthfully, we weren't within striking distance for certainly the majority of the second half. We know what a great team they are. I mean, they've had one of the best regular seasons of any team in the country.”

— T.J. Otzelberger, Head coach, Iowa State Cyclones (statenews.net)

“The rebounding battle is the most important thing on the court. I think when we do that to the highest level, we're going to come out victorious.”

— Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State Cyclones player (statenews.net)

“Just knowing it's a long game, it's a 40-minute game. They came out right away and made some shots. But we knew we would hit some shots down the road. Just kept playing defense and hit some shots.”

— Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State Cyclones player (statenews.net)

What’s next

The winner of the Arizona-Iowa State semifinal will advance to the Big 12 tournament championship game on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The takeaway

This highly anticipated matchup between two of the nation's top teams provides a potential NCAA Tournament preview, as both Arizona and Iowa State are aiming to make deep runs in the Big Dance. The winner will not only advance to the Big 12 title game but could also solidify their standing as a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.