The West Virginia Mountaineers (9-11, 1-6 Big 12) will attempt to put an end to their five-game road losing streak in a matchup against the No. 20 Iowa State Cyclones (15-5, 4-3 Big 12) at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, and will air on ESPNU.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Iowa State Cyclones ATS Prediction
The Mountaineers are hoping for a better outcome after their 83-66 loss to the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in their last game. One of Tennessee’s biggest strengths was getting to the charity stripe. They had 26 free throw attempts, while West Virginia had 18. Esa Ahmad was West Virginia’s high scorer with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
In the Cyclones’ last game, they were victorious over the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels, 87-73. Iowa State had an effective field goal percentage of 0.764 (above their season average of 0.548). Ole Miss, meanwhile, did an excellent job of converting from the free throw line (15-17; 88.2 percent). Talen Horton-Tucker was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field.
After splitting two games last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Mountaineers won the last game 85-70. The Mountaineers had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (43.2 vs. 16.2) and had a better free throw rate (0.303 vs. 0.232).
The high-octane offense of Iowa State (21st in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 114.7) will clash against the mid-tier defense of West Virginia (248th in the country with a defensive efficiency of 105.2). The Cyclones should have the advantage on that side of the ball. Moreover, the Mountaineers are among the country’s elite at getting to the line, ranking 23rd in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.290). The Cyclones, however, rank 10th at keeping opponents off the charity stripe with an opponents’ FTA rate of 0.166.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Iowa State Cyclones Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Iowa State, ATS Winner – Iowa State, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes:
Iowa State ranks 12th in steals allowed per game (4.8) while West Virginia ranks 198th (8.3).
The Mountaineers rank 23rd in rebounds per game (40.0) while the Cyclones rank 152nd (35.6).
Iowa State ranks 23rd in assists per game (16.6) while West Virginia ranks 146th (13.2).
The Cyclones rank 16th in blocks allowed per game (2.3) while the Mountaineers rank 111th (3.5).
West Virginia averages 23.4 three pointers per game, which ranks 118th in the nation. Iowa State ranks 207th in three pointers allowed per game (24.1).
Bettings Trends:
The Mountaineers’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 13.4, up from 0.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cyclones have scored an average of 72.0 points per game (7.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 66.8 points per game (1.4 above their season average).
+++++
