Iowa State saw its 18-point lead evaporate in the second half, as Auburn rallied and won with a last-second tip-in during the Maui Invitational.

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

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 Iowa State men were poised for a big win Monday night at the Maui Invitational. But as those who followed all day saw, the island tournament caused nothing but utter chaos. After seeing an 18-point lead slip away,

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.

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.

The Auburn Tigers take on Iowa State in their first game of the Maui Invitational. Here is everything you need to know about the game

My analysis The Maui Invitational is one of the toughest preseason tournaments in college basketball, with four of the Top 10 teams in the nation taking part. The Iowa State Cyclones and Auburn Tigers both come into their first-round matchup with undefeated records, though they’ve gotten here by slightly different means.

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.