Iowa State vs Tennessee State Prediction 3/20/26 College Basketball Picks Today
Tennessee State (23-9) vs. Iowa State (27-7)
March 20, 2026 2:50 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa State -24.5; Over/Under: 149.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Tennessee State Tigers and the Iowa State Cyclones meet Friday in NCAA Tournament First Round college basketball action from Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Here’s an Iowa State vs. Tennessee State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa State vs. Tennessee State pick.
Tennessee State Tigers Betting Preview
The Tigers opened up their year on a 10-6 run, then hit a 4-2 stretch over the next six games with wins over Morehead State, Southern Indiana, Lindenwood and Little Rock. After wins over Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Southern Indiana, Lindenwood, SIU Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri State and TN Martin in the next eight, Tennessee State beat TN Martin and Morehead State in the conference tournament.
Back on March 7 in the Ohio Valley Tournament championship game versus Morehead State, the Tigers were sitting pretty on a 55-34 advantage as they came back out on the floor for the second half. Tennessee State kept it going on a 38-33 run from there and took the eventual win 93-67 in the end. Antoine Lorick led the team with his 18 points with five boards and Travis Harper added 17 points with three rebounds.
Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview
Over on the Iowa State side, they opened up the season on a 16-2 stretch before hitting wins over UCF, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Kansas State and Baylor from there. A 4-4 run came in the next eight games to close out the regular season as the Cyclones dispatched Kansas, Houston, Utah and Arizona State. Wins over Arizona State and Texas Tech were next, then a loss to Arizona in the conference tournament.
Matched up against Arizona last Sunday in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, the Cyclones were looking good with a 43-37 advantage by the break. Iowa State was outscored 45-37 the rest of the way, however, leading to an 82-80 loss in the end. Milan Momcilovic was tops on the team with 28 points and five boards, while Joshua Jefferson added 21 points with four rebounds and three steals.
Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win
- Iowa State has won each of its last 13 games against non-Conference opponents.
- Tennessee State has lost each of its last 12 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Tennessee State has lost the first half in each of its last nine games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues.
Why the Tennessee State Tigers will win
- Tennessee State has won each of its last six games.
- Tennessee State has won the first half in each of its last six day games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Tennessee State’s last eight games against AP-ranked opponents has produced a total of 149 or fewer points.
- Nine of Iowa State’s last 10 NCAA Tournament games have produced a total of 147 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Iowa State ranks T7th among Division 1 teams for point differential per game this season (+16.0).
- Iowa State ranks 7th among Division 1 teams for net rating this season (+23.7).
- Tennessee State ranks 9th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (9.4).
- Tennessee State ranks 19th among Division 1 teams for field goal attempts per game this season (63.0).
Iowa State vs Tennessee State Prediction
I’ll lean toward Iowa State. The Cyclones had a near-miss loss versus Arizona in a thriller on Sunday, eventually shooting 47 percent from the field with 15 points off 12 Wildcats turnovers. Iowa State gave up 55.2 percent shooting on defense, however, while hitting just four of eight free throws and getting outscored 38-26 in the paint. The Cyclones are still 3-1 in their last four games (with two of those wins coming versus Arizona State), with only the two-point loss to Arizona as a blemish.
As for Tennessee State, they rolled right past Morehead State in their latest outing with 49.3 percent from the field and a whopping 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from outside. The Tigers added a 39-28 rebounding edge with 84.6 percent (11-of-13) at the line. Tennessee State has won six straight games and nine of the last 10 overall but the competition will ramp up significantly here in the First Round.
