It will be a battle between Big 12 opponents when the Iowa State Cyclones (11-9, 2-6 Big 12) welcome the No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) to James H. Hilton Coliseum. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, and will air on ESPNU.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 148 points with West Virginia set as a 9-point favorite.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Iowa State Cyclones ATS Prediction
The Mountaineers are trying to rebound after their 83-76 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in their last contest. Getting to the free throw line was one of Kentucky’s largest advantages. They made 29 trips to the line, while West Virginia went 18 times. Jevon Carter led West Virginia in scoring with 26 points on 9-for-20 shooting.
In the Cyclones’ last game, they got blown out by the No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers, 68-45. Tennessee won the rebounding battle. The Volunteers had more offensive rebounds (16 vs. eight), defensive rebounds (33 vs. 23) and total rebounds (49 vs. 31). Donovan Jackson had a solid performance for Iowa State, leading the team in scoring with 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
Iowa State might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they square off against one of the NCAA’s best defenses. West Virginia ranks 10th in defensive efficiency while the Cyclones rank 164th in offensive efficiency. The Mountaineers should have an advantage in terms of ball protection. They rank 28th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.3 percent). Conversely, the Cyclones force the 55th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ turnover percentage of 17.0 percent).
West Virginia heads into the contest with records of 16-5 straight up (SU) and 8-9 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Mountaineers games, with 9 unders compared to 7 overs.
Meanwhile, Iowa State is 11-9 SU and 6-11-1 ATS. Games including the Cyclones have typically finished over the total (55.6 percent).
Sagaba Konate has averaged 11.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.4 blocks over the last five games for West Virginia.
After the Mountaineers won two out of three contests against the Cyclones last season, these teams will battle for the first time this year. In the last game, Iowa State won 80-74. The Cyclones had a better free throw rate (0.169 vs. 0.143) and had a better offensive rebounding percentage (27.6 vs. 24.2).
West Virginia Mountaineers at Iowa State Cyclones Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – West Virginia, ATS Winner – West Virginia, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
West Virginia is 4-5 ATS on the road with 4 overs, 4 unders and 1 push.
At home, Iowa State is 3-5-1 ATS with 5 unders and 4 overs.
West Virginia ranks 30th in three pointers attempted per game (26.7) while Iowa State ranks 258th in three pointers allowed per game (25.7).
The Mountaineers average 39.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 32nd in the nation. The Cyclones rank 216th in rebounds allowed per game (37.0).
West Virginia ranks seventh in steals per game (9.1) while Iowa State ranks 188th (5.3).
The Mountaineers rank 64th in assists per game (15.4) while the Cyclones rank 174th in assists allowed per game (14.2).
West Virginia ranks 22nd in blocks per game (5.3) while Iowa State ranks 94th in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, West Virginia is 2-3 ATS with 2 overs, 2 unders and 1 push.
Iowa State is 2-3 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Mountaineers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 2.6, down from 14.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cyclones have scored an average of 64.0 points per game (9.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 70.8 points per game (2.3 below their season average).
