Unseen Twists Await as Cyclones Prepare to Shock Hawkeyes Tonight

So here we are again—another college basketball showdown, this time school pride and bragging rights are on the line as Iowa takes on Iowa State at 8:00 ET. Now, I’ll be honest, Tuesday was a tough pill to swallow with two close losses that stung more than a missed buzzer-beater. But hey, that’s the thrill of hoops, right? One night you’re riding high, the next you’re recalibrating and dusting off. Iowa strolled in boasting an 8-1 record, but let’s not get too carried away; their schedule so far reads more like a gentle warm-up than a true test. Contrast that with Iowa State, undefeated and ranked—these Cyclones have been dismantling some serious competition, highlighted by a clinic-like beating of Purdue on their home turf. So, as I’m weighing the odds tonight, the big question is: can Iowa State keep that steamroller rolling, or might Iowa’s home turf spark an upset? Buckle up—it’s Illinois vs. Iowa passion with buckets on the line, and I’m here for every twist. LEARN MORE.

Iowa vs. Iowa State, 8:00 ET

I love college hoops, but it certainly did not love me on Tuesday night. The biggest College Basketball day of the week fell flat for me as both of the plays I put out lost. Before you think I suck, I’ve been giving out almost exclusively winners on the college hardwood. And these two losses were by a combined total of three points. I was right there, but ended up on the wrong side with both of them as I was hooked in one, and Florida lost by four instead of by at least six. It happens, we adjust, we move on, and today we attack Iowa vs. Iowa State.

Iowa comes in with a nice record, but they are not ranked. They are 8-1 for the season, with their lone loss being on the road. As with any college basketball team, you have to look at who they have played to determine if the team is any good or if they just beat up a bunch of bad schools. The answer to that question is glaringly obvious when checking out Iowa’s schedule. They won their first seven games, and the biggest “challenge” for them was playing Ole Miss in a neutral-site Thanksgiving tournament game. The Rebels aren’t exactly known for having an elite basketball program, so forgive me if I am unimpressed with Iowa winning that one. The other games were against Robert Morris, Western Illinois, Xavier, Southeast Missouri State, Chicago State, and Grand Canyon. As you can see, the competition isn’t exactly tough. They did face Michigan State, on the road, and were blown out. Then they came home and hosted Maryland on Saturday. To their credit, they responded well and beat Maryland with ease.

The Iowa State Cyclones are ranked and have won every game to this point. They have actually been incredibly impressive so far, facing tough competition and responding to every challenge. Like almost all schools, they did start their season with a few cupcake matchups against bad teams. They dropped Fairleigh Dickinson and Grambling with ease in their first two games. In their third, they had to face a decent Mississippi State team in a neutral location and won. They have two other easy wins on their schedule, but let’s look at the bigger names they’ve beaten. They escaped with a win over St. John’s, then they beat Creighton and Syracuse with ease in their Thanksgiving tournament. After an easy win, where they nearly doubled their opponent’s output, they faced Purdue on the road on Saturday. It wasn’t just a win for Iowa State, it was a clinic. They beat Purdue in the Boilermakers’ gym by 23 points. Junior Milan Momcilovic has been excellent for them with 18.3 points per game. That is an increase of almost seven points per game from last season.

Sometimes betting can be simple, and the obvious play here is to take Iowa State one of two ways. They are going to win the game, and they should demolish Iowa. They probably will win this game by 20+ points if they have their focus after knocking off the #1 ranked Purdue team. There is a chance that they don’t keep that focus, though. The other option is to take the Cyclones over 76.5 points in tonight’s game. Iowa is a bit slower in pace, so it could be a challenge to get there, but Iowa State is 9/9 going over 76.5 in games this season. Give me the team total to go over, and, what the hell, give me the -10.5 spread too.

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