Ole Miss and Iowa State meet on Sunday evening with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Let’s breakdown a prediction and pick for the game below.
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No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Iowa State
Milwaukee, WI – Sunday 7:45pm ET
Iowa State plays this evening, but putting this one higher up in the article because I’m pairing them with the Gators (early tip) on a moneyline parlay. The Cyclones entered the tournament a bit dinged up, and the loss of Keshon Gilbert is costly. However, they did get their point guard back from injury in the first round — Tamin Lipsey returned and looked healthy in 24 minutes (he didn’t need to play more in a blowout).
Lipsey is the engine that makes this offense go, and his impact should be much more of a factor against the Rebels. Iowa State has advantages on both sides of the ball in this one, particularly on defense, ranking top-10 in efficiency. Most metrics have the Cyclones as a top-10 team overall in the country, and I’m expecting them to frustrate Ole Miss in this one. While Ole Miss got the best of North Carolina in the first round, the Tar Heels came out completely flat before making a massive comeback. UNC was down 22 before trimming the deficit to three points late in the game. It was an example of how the Rebels can be exposed when UNC pushed the pace in the second half.
Unlike the Heels, the Cyclones should be able to put together a full game here. Ole Miss can struggle on the glass, entering the tournament with a -3.6 rebounding margin. Look for Iowa State to be more efficient on both ends, and getting some extra possessions on the offensive boards should provide a nice boost.
If you’re getting to this article after the Florida game tips off, I don’t mind laying the points with ISU, or looking to play the Halftime/Fulltime double result around even money.
March Madness Pick: Florida/Iowa State MLP (-140) 1-unit
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
