It will be a matchup between two of the nation’s top scoring offenses when the No. 13-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (16-5) go head-to-head against the No. 14-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (17-4). The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Cyclones lost to Texas A&M 72-62 on Saturday. Jameel McKay played well for the Cyclones, finishing with nine points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks. The Mountaineers are coming off an 88-71 loss to Florida on Saturday. Tarik Phillip had a team-high 15 points.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength, as the high-powered offense of Iowa State (34th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 114.0) takes on the top-notch defense of West Virginia (fourth in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 90.8). Furthermore, getting to the line could play a crucial role for the Mountaineers. They rank seventh in the nation in FTA rate (48.2). However, the Cyclones are among the best in the nation at keeping opponents off the charity stripe (ranking first at 21.5).
Iowa State, a four-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against West Virginia. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 158 points. The Cyclones are attempting to build on their records of 16-5 Straight Up (SU) and 10-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cyclones have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire nation, averaging 84.3 points per game. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Iowa State, which ranks 23rd at 1.45. Expect Iowa State to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Mountaineers, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 24.3 fouls per game.
On the other side, West Virginia has a SU record of 17-4 and an ATS record of 11-7. The Mountaineers rank 29th in the country in scoring, averaging 81.0 points per game. The Mountaineers are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 40.2 rebounds per game. The West Virginia defense has allowed an average of 70.1 points per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 64.7. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Mountaineers are the best in the nation with an average of 10.6 steals per game.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Iowa State came out on top, bringing its SU record to 5-1 over West Virginia in their most recent games. Additionally, Iowa State leads the matchup ATS with a record of 4-2. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Iowa State held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. West Virginia never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – WVU, ATS Winner – WVU, O/U – Over
Notes
Iowa State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Iowa State’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Iowa State’s last 6 games when playing West Virginia.
Iowa State and West Virginia hold winning records against the Big 12 Conference this season. The Iowa State Cyclones sit at 5-3 SU and the West Virginia Mountaineers have a 6-2 record.
West Virginia averages 81.0 points per game (ranked 29th). Iowa State, on the other hand, allows 73.5 points per game (ranked 225th).
West Virginia scores 75.8 points per away game (ranked 48th). Iowa State ranks a poor 247th in points allowed at home, allowing 71.7 points.
Ranked 54th, the West Virginia Mountaineers have an offensive rating of 112.6. The Iowa State Cyclones rank 105th with a defensive rating of just 99.4.
The Iowa State Cyclones have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the nation with a FG% of 50.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the West Virginia Mountaineers have a losing 1-2 record.
The Iowa State Cyclones and the West Virginia Mountaineers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Iowa State is 12th and fifth in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while West Virginia ranks 152nd and 84th in these categories.
Iowa State ranks 27th in assists, recording 16.5 per game. West Virginia ranks 81st with 15.2 assists per game.
Iowa State, the 100th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.1 per game. West Virginia does worse, ranked 283rd with 2.5.
The West Virginia Mountaineers are among the best offensive rebounding teams, currently ranked second for the season. The Iowa State Cyclones are a top-tier defensive rebounding team, ranking 22nd.
Though West Virginia is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 27.1% (ranked first), Iowa State is undefeated (1-0) when its TO% is 27.1% or greater.
