When Iowa State took the floor in Tuesday's consolation round against Dayton, Gilbert shined once again and got late-game redemption. He posted his second-straight 20-point game, but he also had a clutch series of plays over the final minute to give the fifth-ranked Cyclones a hard-fought 89-84 win against the feisty Flyers.

A tale of two halves may be a cliche phrase, but sometimes it is accurate. Monday's game between No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Iowa State was one of those times.

By the time Auburn took the lead with about four minutes to play, Iowa State snapped back into action, even taking an 81-79 lead with 50 seconds left off two Gilbert free-throws. But Auburn quickly answered, as Dylan Cardwell found Miles Kelly inside for a cutting layup, setting the stage for the pivotal last 30 seconds.

The biggest separator of these teams is the level of competition each team has faced to this point. Auburn holds a win over the KenPom’s No. 1 team, Houston, while Iowa State’s best win is Kansas City, which ranks No. 236 in the KenPom entering Monday’s action.

Auburn basketball once faced a huge 18-point deficit against No. 5 Iowa State, before the Tigers pulled off a miracle with 1.2 seconds left.

Dayton guard Malachi Smith (11) goes to the basket against Iowa State guard Curtis Jones, left, forward Brandton Chatfield, center, and guard Nate Heise, back right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Maui Invitational Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Iowa State won 89-84. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The fifth-ranked Cyclones lost their first game of the season. Columnist Travis Hines gives his thoughts on what went right - and what didn't

As Iowa State prepares for tip-off at the Maui Invitational, where do the Cyclones rank this week in men's college basketball AP and Coaches Polls?