The Iowa State Cyclones take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, IA. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Iowa State is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -270. The total is set at 159.5 points.
Here’s my Iowa State vs. Iowa predictions and college basketball picks for December 12, 2024.
Iowa State Vs Iowa Prediction
My Pick: Iowa State -6.5 (Play to -9)
Iowa State vs Iowa Odds, Spread
| Iowa State Odds Spread -6.5 -108 Total 159.5 -110 / -110 Moneyline -270 | Iowa Odds Spread +6.5 -112 Total 159.5 -110 / -110 Moneyline +220 |
- Iowa State vs Iowa spread: Iowa State -6.5
- Iowa State vs Iowa over/under: 159.5 points
- Iowa State vs Iowa moneyline: Iowa State -270, Iowa +220
- Iowa State vs Iowa best bet: Iowa State -6.5 (Play to -9)
Iowa State Vs Iowa College Basketball Betting Preview
One of the more underrated rivalries in all of college basketball returns on Thursday when Iowa hosts in-state rival Iowa State in Iowa City.
An interesting trend in recent renditions of this rivalry has emerged — six straight games in this series have been won by a margin of 14 or more points. Blowouts have become common, which makes some sense given the stylistic differences between the two programs.
As always, Iowa State is elite defensively this season. The Cyclones rank 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency, and if this holds at the end of the year, this will be their fourth consecutive season with a top-10 defense.
One major difference with Iowa State this year is it’s playing faster. After grading outside the top 200 in tempo in the past three seasons, this year’s version is ranked 89th, which should be a good sign heading into this matchup against an Iowa program that loves to run.
For years, Iowa has made its living off of playing fast with elite offenses. This year’s version is trying to do the same, but it’s run into some roadblocks.
The offense just hasn’t been as elite as previous versions. Personnel-wise, this makes sense, as there is no All-American on this team like Keegan Murray or Luka Garza. Payton Sandfort has taken on the superstar role, but Sandfort is making just 31% of his 3s on the season.
As a whole, the Iowa offense ranks 33rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, and if this holds for the rest of the season, it would mark just the second time in 11 years that Fran McCaffery hasn’t had a top-30 offense.
The only mark оn Iowa State’s resume іs a two-point loss tо Auburn, which has an argument for being the best team іn the country. Iowa State led that game by 18 points іn the first half, and іt showed that іt belongs with the best teams іn college hoops.
Iowa’s run up tо this game has been a different story. The Hawkeyes are 0-2 against top-50 opponents, and their most impressive win came at home against Northwestern by just one point.
Given the history оf this series, іt would be wise tо expect the better team tо create some separation. This іs arguably the best version оf Iowa State ever, and this year’s Iowa team has holes that past versions have not had.
Expect the Cyclones tо suffocate the Hawkeyes’ best player and win comfortably by double digits.
