J. Otzelberger had tears in his eyes as he sat next to senior Caleb Grill at the postgame news conference.
Grill delivered what Otzelberger called a “surreal” performance against the No. 1 team in the nation, scoring a career-high 31 points and going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc as the Cyclones stunned North Carolina 70-65 in the Phil Knight Invitational semifinals at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
It was the program’s first win over a No. 1 team since Jan. 18, 2016, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Iowa State will face the winner of Friday’s UConn-Alabama matchup.