The No.6-seeded Iowa State Cyclones challenge the No.3-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in the second round of the Big 12 tournament at Sprint Center. Action starts at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Sooners played well in their last game, beating TCU 75-67 in their last game. Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Cyclones, meanwhile, are coming off an 85-78 loss against Kansas in their last game. Jameel McKay recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, and one block.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Oklahoma ranks ninth in the nation in defensive efficiency (98.2), while Iowa State is 22nd (103.9). Also, the upper-echelon offense of the Cyclones ranks sixth in eFG% at 56.9%, while the Sooners are ninth-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (46.2%).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Cyclones had the upper hand in the most recent game, an 82-77 win. Despite the loss, Isaiah Cousins was a top performer in the game with 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four three-pointers.
The Sooners come into this game 24-6 Straight Up (SU) and 12-16 Against The Spread (ATS). Oklahoma has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 39.3 rebounds per game.
On the other side, the Cyclones have a record of 14-13-1 ATS and 21-10 SU. Iowa State has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Cyclones. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.47.
Iowa State beat Oklahoma in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. The Cyclones also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Iowa State had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) one time over the last five games. Oklahoma has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Okla, ATS Winner – Okla
Notes
Ranked 22nd, the Iowa State Cyclones have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 103.9 points per 100 possessions. The Oklahoma Sooners rank 41st in offense, scoring 113.2 points in the same number of possessions.
With 71.5 possessions and 1.132 points per possession, the Oklahoma Sooners perform worse on both metrics than the Iowa State Cyclones. Iowa State averages 71.5 possessions and 1.148 points per possession.
The Iowa State Cyclones have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the country with an eFG% of 56.9%. The Oklahoma Sooners have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher eFG%.
On average, Oklahoma attempts 24.0 three pointers and Iowa State attempts 21.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Oklahoma Sooners sit at 20-6 and the Iowa State Cyclones are 15-5.
The 21st-ranked team in the category, Iowa State has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47 this season. Oklahoma ranks lower at 109th with an A/TO of 1.17.
Oklahoma, the 46th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.3 rebounds per game. Iowa State does worse, ranked 184th with 36.0.
Iowa State ranks 298th in offensive rebounds, while Oklahoma ranks at 18th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Oklahoma forces a turnover rate of 17.5%, ranked 24th in the nation. When Iowa State turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 8-3 record.
