PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE - The Iowa State men’s basketball team cheers during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday at Johnny’s in Hilton Coliseum in Ames.

AMES — The Iowa State men’s basketball team is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years.

After beating Kansas for a Big 12 Conference Tournament win on Saturday, the Cyclones (23-11) were awarded the sixth seed in the Midwest Region, and they will face 11th-seeded Ohio State (19-14) in the first round in Tulsa, Okla., on Friday.

Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm said he particularly liked where the team was picked to play in the first two rounds.

“We are fortunate to be a part of it, I figured we would be anywhere form a four on the high end ot a six on the low end, but I love where we’re at being in Tulsa, being within a six-hour drive for our fans,” he said.

The winner between the Cyclones and Buckeyes will face the winner of Houston-Georgia State in the round of 32 on March 24. As for his first round matchup, Prohm said its new territory facing a team from the Big Ten Conference, but there are no easy games left on the schedule.

“Whether you’re playing Ohio State or Cincinnati or whoever you have in the first round, everybody is good this time of year. You have to beat a good team to advance from the first round to the last round,” he said. “I don’t know much about their personnel or their style of play, obviously we will go back and meet here in a little bit, start watching them tonight and show our guys tape”

Prohm will be taking the Cyclones to the tournament for the third time in his four years at the helm, tying for the third-most by a head coach in school history with Tim Floyd. Johnny Orr has the school lead with six appearances, followed by Fred Hoiberg with four. This is the 20th time the Cyclones will be playing in the season-ending tournament.

Iowa State has a 10-6 record against teams in the NCAA Tournament, including wins against third-seeded Texas Tech and fourth-seeded Kansas and Kansas State.

Ohio State is making its 29th NCAA Tournament appearance, where it is 50-27 overall. The Buckeyes were 8-12 in Big Ten play, and they were 3-11 against fellow tournament teams this season. Their wins came against seventh-seeded Cincinnati and No. 10 seeds Iowa and Minnesota.

MIDWEST REGIONAL

First Round

Thursday, March 21

At Jacksonville, Fla.

Kentucky (27-6) vs. Abilene Christian (27-6), 6:10 p.m.

Wofford (29-4) vs. Seton Hall (20-13), 8:40 p.m.

At Salt Lake City

Auburn (26-9) vs. New Mexico State (30-4), 12:30 p.m.

Kansas (25-9) vs. Northeastern (23-10), 3 p.m.

Friday, March 22

At Columbus, Ohio

Utah State (28-6) vs. Washington (26-8), 5:50 p.m.

North Carolina (27-6) vs. Iona (17-15), 8:20 p.m.

At BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.

Houston (31-3) vs. Georgia State (24-9), 6:20 p.m.

Iowa State (23-11) vs. Ohio State (19-14), 8:50 p.m.