
Iowa State vs UCF Prediction 1/21/25 College Basketball Picks Today
UCF (12-5) vs. Iowa State (15-2)
January 21, 2025 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa State -15.5; Over/Under: 152.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UCF Knights and the Iowa State Cyclones meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the Hilton Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Iowa State vs UCF Prediction.
UCF Recap
The UCF Knights come into this game looking to bounce back after a 69-68 loss to Houston last time out to drop to 12-5 on the year. After this game, UCF will head home and will take on the TCU Horned Frogs.
Knights Looking For Consistency
Keyshawn Hall leads the Knights in scoring and rebounding with 16.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG along with 2.5 APG while Darius Johnson has 14.9 PPG with 3.7 RPG and a team-high 4.1 APG to lead the Knights in the assist department. Jordan Ivy-Curry has 14.2 PPG with 3.4 RPG and 2.4 APG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for UCF so far this season while Moustapha Thiam has 8.3 PPG with 5.1 RPG and Dallan Coleman has 6.6 PPG with 4.4 RPG. As a team, UCF is averaging 78.9 PPG on 42.2% shooting from the field, 33.6% from three, and 76.7% from the foul line this season.
Why the UCF Knights will win
- UCF has won eight of its last nine night games.
Iowa State Recap
The Iowa State Cyclones come into this game looking to bounce back from a 64-57 loss to West Virginia in their last game to sit at 15-2 on the year. After this game, Iowa State will head on the road for a matchup with Arizona State.
Cyclones Looking For Rebound Performance
Curtis Jones leads the Cyclones in scoring with 17.8 PPG along with 4.2 RPG and 2.5 APG while Keshon Gilbert has 15.4 PPG with 3.6 RPG and a team-high 4.7 APG to lead the Cyclones in assists. Milan Momcilovic has 10.3 PPG with 3.5 RPG while Joshua Jefferson has 11.8 PPG with a team-high 8.3 RPG to lead Iowa State on the glass up to this point in the year. Tamin Lipsey has 10.1 PPG with 3.1 APG and 2.4 SPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Iowa State so far this season. Dishon Jackson has 9.6 PPG with 4.9 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Iowa State is averaging 83.8 PPG on 49.2% shooting from the field, 34.3% from three, and 75% from the foul line this season.
Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win
- Iowa State has won each of its last 28 games at James H. Hilton Coliseum.
- UCF has lost 10 of its last 11 games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Iowa State’s last 13 night games against Conference opponents has produced a total of 148 or fewer points.
- Each of UCF’s last six games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents has produced a total of 147 or fewer points.
Iowa State vs UCF Prediction
I’m on Iowa State here. I get that this is a massive number to lay when UCF has been really competitive against some solid teams like Houston, Texas Tech, and Arizona State as well as covering against Arizona on the road as well. However, Iowa State’s coming off of a road loss where they looked really poor, and it was just a bad spot for UCF in that game and one that I think they bounce back from in a big way at home. The Cyclones are just a different animal at home and I think UCF finds that out the hard way here. Give me Iowa State laying the big number.