Sweet 16: Miami vs Iowa State 3/25/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Miami Hurricanes and Iowa State Cyclones clash at the United Center this Friday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament – Midwest Region.

The 11-seed Iowa State Cyclones improved to 22-12 after upsetting the 3-seed Wisconsin Badgers, 54-49, this past Sunday. Iowa State was incredible on the defensive end against Wisconsin and was able to hold off the Badgers after taking a 50-40 lead with 4:17 left in regulation. Iowa State shot 34.5% from the field & 21.4% from beyond the arc while holding Wisconsin to 29.8% shooting from the field & 9.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cyclones was Gabe Kalscheur who had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.

On the season, coming into their game against Wisconsin, Iowa State was averaging 66.2 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Cyclones are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 32.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Iowa State has been led by Izaiah Brockington (17.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg), Tyrese Hunter (11.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2.0 spg), Gabe Kalscheur (9.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg), & Caleb Grill (6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, prior to their game against Wisconsin, Iowa State was holding their opponents to an average of 62.7 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Cyclones had a rebound margin of -1.3 and a turnover margin of 3.0.

The 10-seed Miami Hurricanes improved to 25-10 on the season after upsetting the 2-seed Auburn Tigers, 79-61, this past Sunday night. Miami was lights out defensively against a very good Auburn offense and pulled away in the 2^nd half for the victory after taking a 64-50 lead with 7:17 left in regulation. Miami shot 48.5% from the field & 20.0% from beyond the arc while holding Auburn to 30.4% shooting from the field & 19.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hurricanes was Kameron McGusty who had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, & 1 block.

On the season, coming into their game against Auburn, Miami was averaging 74.6 ppg on 47.7% shooting from the field. The Hurricanes were averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 34.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Miami has been led by Kameron McGusty (17.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.7 spg), Isaiah Wong (15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg), Charlie Moore (12.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.0 spg), Jordan Miller (10.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.8 spg), & Sam Waardenburg (8.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.2 apg).

Defensively, prior to their game against Auburn, Miami was allowing their opponents to average 70.9 ppg on 46.6% shooting from the field. The Hurricanes had a rebound margin of -4.3 and a turnover margin of 4.5.

The Cyclones are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Friday games & 6-1 ATS in thier last 7 neutral site games. The Hurricanes are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games & 6-1-1 ATS in thier last 8 games overall.

Iowa State has been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 22^nd in scoring defense, 143^rd in defensive FG%, & 22^nd in steals per games, however, the offense has struggled to score at times, as the Cyclones rank just 292^nd in scoring offense. Miami has been led by their offense which ranks 80^th in scoring offense & 22^nd in FG% and despite their defensive ranking just 221^st in scoring defense, the Hurricanes have done a great job creating turnovers, ranking 16^th in steals per game & 17^th in turnover margin.

Iowa State has been incredible defensively in their victories over LSU & Wisconsin, however, it’s going to be a challenge for the Cyclones to slow down what is a very good Miami offense. Miami plays small and fast which should play to their advantage in this one and as I just don’t think the Cyclones offense will be able to keep up with the Hurricanes in this one, I’m taking Miami to cover this small spread. Good Luck!