The No.4-seeded Iowa State Cyclones play the No.1-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament at the United Center. Action starts at 7:10 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 25 and can be seen on CBS.
The Cavaliers played well in their last game, beating Butler 77-69 in the Second Round. Malcolm Brogdon was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting. The Cyclones, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-61 win against Little Rock in the Second Round. Georges Niang led the game in scoring by registering 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
Niang has been hot for the Cyclones, averaging 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.6 three-pointers over the past five games.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Virginia ranks fourth in the nation, allowing just 98.0 points per 100 possessions, while Iowa State is 15th (103.8). Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Cyclones ranks sixth in eFG% at 57.1%, while the Cavaliers are 13th-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (48.3%).
The Cavaliers have gone 28-7 Straight Up (SU) and 18-15 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cavaliers have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 81.9 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 70.9 points per game. The Cavaliers are a dangerously accurate shooting team from the line with a .754 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Cavaliers, sporting the seventh-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.56), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. The Virginia defense has been struggling to keep points off the board curing its most recent matchups. The Cavaliers have given up an average of 77.2 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 59.5 PPG.
Across the court, the Cyclones have 23-11 SU and 17-13-1 ATS records. Iowa State performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. Offensively, the Cyclones have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 82.1 points per game after averaging only 70.5 during that stretch. The Cyclones are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 21st in Division I at 1.45. The Iowa State defense has allowed an average of 58.9 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 74.7. Iowa State’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 7.0 shots from the three-point line per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – IaSt, ATS Winner – IaSt
Notes
Iowa State averages 80.9 points per away game (ranked ninth). However, Virginia has allowed an average of just 58.0 points per home game, ranked fourth this season.
The Virginia Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 98.0, fourth-best in the country. The Iowa State Cyclones have a top-tier offense with an offensive rating of 114.8 (ranked 20th).
The Iowa State Cyclones have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the nation with a FG% of 50.3%. The Virginia Cavaliers have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Virginia Cavaliers average 14.0 three point attempts per game and are 2-3 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Iowa State Cyclones average 21.0 attempts and have a winning record (17-6) when attempting 20 or more.
The Virginia Cavaliers are among the best in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.56 (ranked seventh). Ranking 21st, the Iowa State Cyclones have an A/TO of 1.45.
Virginia ranks 310th in offensive rebounds, while Iowa State ranks 59th in defensive rebounds.
Though Iowa State is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 17.2% (ranked 15th), Virginia has a stellar 7-1 record SU when it has a TO% of 17.2% or greater.
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