No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 11 Iowa State preview, picks for second round of 2022 NCAA Tournament

A trip to the regional semifinal in the Midwest region will be on the line this evening as the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers will battle the No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

The game will tip off at 6:10 p.m. ET on TNT. Wisconsin enters as a 4.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook.

No. 3 Wisconsin: 25-7 (15-5 Big Ten):

First round result: Defeated No. 14 Colgate 67-60
KenPom rating: 33 Overall, 49 Offense, 37 Defense
NET ranking: 24, (9-3 VS Quad 1)
Leading scorer: Johnny Davis (19.3 ppg)
Key stat: 10 of Wisconsin’s last 11 victories have come within single digits.

Wisconsin enjoyed playing a pseudo-home game in Milwaukee on Friday, downing Colgate for a seven-point victory. Down by two midway through the second half, Johnny Davis led the Badgers on a 15-6 run over the next nine minutes of action to give his team the necessary cushion to win. The Big Ten Player of the Year finished the game with 25 points and eight rebounds.

Wisconsin has the best turnover rate percentage in the nation on offense but will need to especially protect the ball against an Iowa State team that has the fifth-best turnover rate percentage on defense.

No. 11 Iowa State: 21-12 (7-11 Big 12):

First round result: Defeated No. 6 LSU
KenPom rating: 37 Overall, 142 Offense, 10 Defense
NET ranking: 49, (9-8 VS Quad 1)
Leading scorer: Izaiah Brockington (17.3 ppg)
Key stat: Friday’s win snapped a three-game losing streak for Iowa State.

After an abysmal end to the regular season, the Cyclones fired themselves up to take down the sixth-seeded Tigers in a five-point win. This was a tight contest down the stretch and on two separate occasions, Tyrese Hunter provided a clutch three to give the Cyclones the edge. He led the team with 23 points along with five steals.

Wisconsin is only shooting 48.1% in effective field goal percentage and that could play into the favor of a defensive-oriented Iowa State squad.

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook

Point spread: Wisconsin -4.5
Point total: 125.5
Moneyline: Wisconsin -200, Iowa State +170

The Pick

Against The Spread Pick: Iowa State +4.5
Point total pick: Under 125.5
Pick to Win: Wisconsin

Wisconsin will once again play a psuedo-home game tonight and will be energized by the atmosphere. However, the Cyclones will be motivated to muck things up for Johnny Davis and company and we’ll most likely end up with a matchup where the two teams will struggle to crack 60.

Ultimately, the edge has to go to the more consistent Badgers in Milwaukee here.

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