BYU vs Iowa State Prediction 3/13/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Iowa State Cyclones and the BYU Cougars meet Thursday in Big 12 Tournament college basketball action from Sprint Center. 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.

BYU Cougars Betting Preview

The Cougars had a (brief) spotty run going in January but aside from that they’ve been a consistent team in the record column overall. BYU opened on a 10-2 run over their first dozen, with losses to Ole Miss and Providence. Losses to Houston, Texas Tech, TCU and Utah came in the next five games (with a lone win over Oklahoma State), then wins over Colorado, Cincinnati, Baylor and UCF. BYU would lose to Arizona and Cincinnati in the next pair, but they’ve since taken out West Virginia, Kansas State, Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and Utah in succession. That gives BYU a 23-8 overall record in their 31 games so far this season.

In their matchup with Utah last weekend, the Cougars went into halftime with a four-point edge and closed on a 51-44 run for the win 85-74. Tops in scoring was Dawson Baker with 15 points in 16 minutes of work off the bench.

Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview

Over on Cyclones’ side, they were looking great in mid-January. Iowa State has hit some bumpy roads in the win column since then, though. The Cyclones kicked things off on a stellar run that lasted until January 18, winning 15 of their first 16 outings. The November 25 loss to Auburn was the only defeat in that time. Iowa State hit a 2-4 run in the next six, taking out UCF and Arizona State with losses otherwise versus West Virginia, Arizona, Kansas State and Kansas. Wins over TCU, UCF, Cincinnati and Colorado came in the next four outings. Iowa State hit a 2-3 run in their next five games with wins over Arizona and Kansas State. Those losses came versus Houston, Oklahoma State and BYU otherwise. That gave the Cyclones a 23-8 overall record in 31 games of regular-season play..

In their matchup against Cincinnati on Wednesday, the Cyclones were able to keep things rolling with a dominant victory. Iowa State hit a 33-24 run in the first half, then took a 43-32 advantage from there on the way to a 76-56 win in the end. Tops in scoring was Joshua Jefferson with 19 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals. Tamin Lipsey added 16 points with three assists, two rebounds and two steals, while Milan Momcilovic had 13 points with six boards and two assists. Dishon Jackson managed a double-double with 10 points, 15 rebounds, one block and one assist in 25 minutes of action during the victory.

Why the BYU Cougars will win

• BYU has won each of its last eight games.
• Iowa State has lost three of its last four games against AP-ranked opponents.
• BYU has won the first half in each of its last seven games against the Big 12 Conference.

Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win

• Iowa State has won 11 of its last 12 games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• BYU has lost each of its last four day games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Iowa State has won the first half in each of its last five games against the Big 12 Conference at neutral venues.

Total Points Facts

• Seven of Iowa State’s last eight day games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 141 or fewer points.
• Each of BYU’s last four games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 148+ points.

Matchup/League Facts

• BYU ranks 7th among Division 1 teams for effective field goal percentage this season (57.5%).
• BYU ranks 10th among Division 1 teams for three-point field goals made per game this season (10.6).
• Iowa State ranks 9th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (9.6).
• Iowa State ranks 10th among Division 1 teams for opponent turnovers per game this season (15.7).

BYU vs Iowa State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Iowa State I suppose. The Cyclones rolled past a middling Kansas State team pretty well over the weekend, and they were able to power out the win over Cincinnati with some gusto on Wednesday. In that one the Cyclones shot a healthy 53.7 percent from the field and 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from 3-point range while holding the Bearcats to just 32.8 percent overall on the other side. Iowa State also notched a nice 41-23 rebounding edge, but made some mistakes along the way with 17 turnovers for 14 Bearcats points.

These teams last saw each other quite recently, with BYU taking a double-overtime road victory 88-85 on March 4. Iowa State didn’t play very well in that one, shooting just 39.1 percent from the field with a 52-24 rebounding deficit. The saving grace was the 34 points off a whopping 29 BYU turnovers. The Cyclones need a much better effort across the board in this tournament rematch, but coming off a couple of convincing wins I think Iowa State is ready for it. Should be a great matchup.