The Iowa State Cyclones (3) may be emerging as a popular Elite Eight pick in the 2015 NCAA Tournament after beating Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.

But they must first avoid a misstep in their opener against the UAB Blazers (14). UAB capped a 19-15 season by winning the C-USA Tournament title and punching their ticket to the Big Dance.

CLICK HERE to watch the game live via NCAA.com. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. ET in Louisville, Ky. You can also listen to the game live via TuneIn.

While UAB would certainly like to ride their momentum to become this year's tournament Cinderella team, they have drawn a red hot Iowa State team. the Cyclones have won five games in a row and eight in their last 10 contests.

And they are hungry for redemption after having to play without forward Georges Niang last year. Even with the loss of their leading scorer, Iowa State made it to the Sweet 16, where they lost to the eventual champions, UConn. This year, they hope to show what they can do full strength.

"It was emotional. Walking into the interview, I had to break the news to our guys about what had just happened. Georges probably played through more than anybody on the team, especially that time of year. So it was tough," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said in a pregame press conference, according to the Associated Press. "Our guys that are back from that team worked all year to get back to this opportunity to try and put your team in a position to where you can compete for a championship."