Iowa State Cyclones vs. Baylor Bears College Basketball prediction, preview
Iowa State comes in a perfect 14-0 on the season, including 5-0 away from home. Four of those wins came on neutral courts, though, so the Cyclones have only been tested in a true road game once. They passed that test with flying colors, hammering Purdue in West Lafayette by 23 points as an underdog.
Baylor is off a loss on Saturday at TCU and is 8-0 at home on the season, so I understand the bounce-back angle. However, the Bears haven’t really seen an opponent like ISU yet. Baylor’s best wins on the season came against decent competition in Creighton and San Diego State, but have also taken losses to TCU, Memphis and Saint John’s.
This is going to be a monster step up in class for the Bears. This game opened at Baylor +6 and has moved towards the home dog. I disagree with the move. The Cyclones are extremely balanced with elite play on both sides of the floor, ranking top-five on KenPom on both offense and defense. While Baylor’s offense ranks 12th, the defense is just barely in the top-100, and should be a major concern in this game.
This isn’t the Baylor team we’ve seen in recent seasons, and Iowa State is only getting better. Despite a strong home court in Waco, give me the Cyclones to run away in this one with margin.
