CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Iowa State caught another team in its trap. The Cyclones relied on the same formula that sparked a dramatic turnaround during the regular season, using a variety of pressure defenses to beat Minnesota 64-53 Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Iowa State's Curtis Stinson (1) drives to the basket as Minnesota's Aaron Robinson (3) defends in the second half during the first round of the NCAA Syracuse Regional tournament at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, March 18, 2005. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

Iowa State held Minnesota to 33 percent shooting, and Curtis Stinson led a balanced attack with 18 points. Rahshon Clark and Jared Homan added 14 each for Iowa State (19-11), which got past the first round for the first time since reaching the round of eight in 2000. The next season, seeded second, the Cyclones lost to 15th-seeded Hampton in their tournament opener.

That was only the beginning of their problems. Larry Eustachy resigned as coach in 2003 after it was revealed he had partied with college students on Big 12 road trips, embarrassing the university and leaving a cloud over the program.

He was replaced by his top assistant, Wayne Morgan. In his second season, Iowa State is again back in the postseason.

Getting there took some work, however. A six-game losing streak in January left the Cyclones 0-5 in the Big 12, with games coming up against Oklahoma and Kansas. They won both of those, including a surprising upset of the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, and finished off a 10-3 record over their final 13 games to secure a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Brent Lawson and Vincent Grier had 14 apiece for the eighth-seeded Gophers (21-11), who had their own problems in recent years. After a trip to the 1999 tournament, an NCAA investigation found that the school committed 21 major academic violations. The infractions cost coach Clem Haskins his job, scholarships were cut, and all the records between 1993-98 were erased.

Sixth-year coach Dan Monson had Minnesota back in, but even he couldn't figure out Iowa State's defenses.

Using some full-court pressure and almost exclusively going with a zone, the Cyclones forced 17 turnovers and kept the Gophers off-balance throughout. Minnesota rallied through the second half before Iowa State went on an 8-0 run to take control, a spurt fueled by — what else? — defense.

On one possession, the Gophers unsuccessfully tried to inbound twice, with Brent Lawson calling a timeout on one and Iowa State's Will Blalock deflecting another pass. It didn't work out so well when they did finally get it in, since the Cyclones pressured Jeff Hagen into a turnover.

The lead was 12 after Stinson finished the run with a short jumper before Minnesota got within five late on a putback by Lawson. But that was as close as it was down the stretch, with Iowa State completing the victory at the free throw line.