The Iowa State Cyclones and the BYU Cougars meet Saturday in college basketball action from Marriott Center in Provo. Here’s a BYU vs Iowa State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best BYU vs Iowa State pick.
Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview
The Cyclones got off to a great start this year, recording wins in each of their first 16 games. Consecutive losses came next versus Kansas and Cincinnati, then another win streak versus Central Florida, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Kansas State and Baylor. After another loss to TCU, the Cyclones picked it up again with wins over Kansas and Houston, giving the team a 23-3 run so far.
In the Monday matchup with Houston, the Cyclones were sitting in the locker room with a three-point edge 43-40. Iowa State kept their run going on a 27-27 tie in the second half and managed to power out the key victory on their home court 70-67 as the game concluded. Joshua Jefferson posted 12 points with six rebounds and five assists as the team’s leading performer.
BYU Cougars Betting Preview
Over on the BYU side, they only lost one of their first 17 games this year. That defeat came courtesy of UConn on November 15. The Cougars lost five of the next six versus Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Houston (with a lone win over Utah). After consecutive wins over Baylor and Colorado in the next pair, BYU was sitting at 19-6 after the first 25 games.
Matched up against Arizona on Wednesday in game 26, the Cougars went into the locker room with a 42-35 deficit on the scoreboard. BYU was able to keep the pace from there on a 33-33 run but it wasn’t enough to make the comeback attempt on a 75-68 loss on the road. Leading the team in scoring during the defeat was AJ Dybantsa with 35 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Robert Wright added 13 points with four rebounds and three assists.
Why the BYU Cougars will win
- BYU has won each of its last nine games at Marriott Center when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- Iowa State has lost each of its last seven February road games as an AP-ranked team against an AP-ranked team.
- Iowa State has lost the first half in each of its last five February road games as a top-15 AP-ranked team against an AP-ranked team.
Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win
- BYU has lost each of its last six games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Iowa State has won 10 of its last 11 games when playing with a rest advantage.
- Iowa State has won the first half in each of its last eight games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Iowa State’s last 13 Saturday games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 155 or fewer points.
- Five of BYU’s last six games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents at Marriott Center have produced a total of 153 or fewer points.
BYU vs Iowa State Prediction
I’m going to stick with Iowa State. The Cyclones were able to fend off a great Houston team in a home victory this week, thanks to 49 percent shooting from the field and a 28-16 advantage on points in the paint. Iowa State was great with ball control (just three turnovers) but did miss quite a few free throws (11-of-22 for 50 percent) along the way. Still, the Cyclones are looking good on a 7-1 run over their last eight games, scoring 70 or more points in each of those victories.
As for BYU, they hit the wall against a great Arizona team in a very difficult road matchup this week. The Cougars shot decently (43.1 percent) from the field and had a 30-26 advantage on points in the paint but couldn’t keep pace with Arizona’s 45.3 percent from the field. BYU is just 2-5 in their last seven games but to be fair they’ve played some extremely talented squads in that time. They’ve got another one incoming Saturday.