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The Iowa Hawkeyes will look to avoid their third consecutive loss when they head on the road to take on the undefeated and 17th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones on Thursday night.
Iowa came up short in their first two Big Ten matchups against the Purdue Boilermakers 77-70 and Illinois Fighting Illini 87-83. The Hawkeyes had started out 7-0 and will look for another quality victory before a stretch of relatively easy games the rest of 2021. Iowa has one of the top offenses in the country, but they can struggle on the defensive end.
Iowa State remains undefeated through eight games as they continue to climb up the rankings. The Cyclones are off to a surprising start to their season, which has included wins over the Xavier Musketeers, Memphis Tigers and Creighton Bluejays. Izaiah Brockington has been fantastic this season with 16 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
How to watch Iowa State vs. Iowa
When: Thursday, December 9th, 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: James H. Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
TV: ESPN2
Where to live stream online: WatchESPN, ESPN app
Live updates and stats: At DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds
Spread: Iowa -4
Total: 151
The Pick
Iowa State +4
Iowa’s very good even with Luka Garza gone, and they still have fifth-best offense in the country according to KenPom. But they’ve struggled in their only two road games, and while ISU’s best win is over that terrible Memphis team, they’re undefeated for a reason. The Cyclones force enough turnovers to keep this within a possession.
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