The Iowa State Cyclones have started the season 15-0 and won their first two Big 12 games by at least 10 points. Now No. 3 Iowa State faces the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who are 13-2, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Oklahoma State has won four of its previous five games and is coming off a 11-point victory over UCF.
Below, I broke down my best bet for Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State.
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State (4:00 p.m. ET)
Even though Iowa State is No. 3 in the latest AP Poll, KenPom has them ranked second. The Cyclones also have the second-best defensive rating and the ninth-best offensive rating. Two members of Iowa State’s frontcourt, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, are the best two players. Jefferson averages 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, while Momcilovic scores 17.5 per contest. Senior guard Tamin Lipsey is the Cyclones’ starting point guard, averaging 14.8 points and 5.6 assists.
Oklahoma State is led by veteran guard Anthony Roy, who is a terrific player averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 56.9 percent from deep. In the Big 12, Oklahoma State is third (90.2) in points per game, while Iowa State (88.3) is fourth. Defensively, it is a different story: Iowa State allows the third-fewest (62.4) in the conference, while the Cowboys give up the second-most (79.7).
Iowa State is a good offensive team, but its defense continues to be the difference maker. They have allowed 68 or fewer points in their previous 10 games, with no opponent scoring more than 62 points in the last seven. The Cyclones are coming off a 10-point win over Baylor, but won three of the four before that by at least 19 points. Iowa State has won 10 of its 15 games by 19-plus points, making the Cyclones on the spread (-18.5) the play in this contest.
