Pick on the total for Iowa State-Villanova on November 24

The Iowa State Cyclones and Villanova Wildcats are spending Thanksgiving in Portland Oregon and will hook up in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational.

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Villanova Wildcats (-1.5, 131)

Villanova enters Thursday playing at one of the slowest paces in the country, ranking 359th in the country in possessions per game after doing much of the last season at 344th in possessions per game.

On the other end, Iowa State is more of a mid-tempo team at 190th in possessions per game, but are playing even lower scoring games than Villanova as they rank third in the country in points allowed on a per possession basis.

Ball security will be important for Villanova, as they face an Iowa State defense that is generating a turnover in 35% of opponents possessions, the highest rate among Division I teams.

For all of the positives with the Cyclone defense, the guards are leaving something to be desired in terms of outside shooting, as Iowa State is 321st in the country in 3-point shooting percentage.

Iowa State has had struggles on offense while being dominant on defense and with facing one of the slowest teams in the country, teams will be thankful for every point they score on Thursday.

The Play: Iowa State vs. Villanova Under 131

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