The NCAA Tournament is in full swing with plenty of madness occurring during the action already. The Iowa State Cyclones will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round after each team earned a second matchup with a win.
Iowa State blew out Tennessee State 108-74 in the No. 2 vs. No. 15 matchup in the Midwest region. The Kentucky Wildcats edged out Santa Clara in an overtime thriller in the No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup. Both sides traded potential game-winners in the final few seconds before Kentucky was able to pull away for a 94-89 win in the additional period.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kentucky Wildcats Opening Odds
Looking at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, Iowa State opens as a 5.5-point favorite and holds -230 odds of winning outright. Kentucky holds +190 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at 144.5.
Iowa State earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament after going 28-7 on the year. The Cyclones rank 52nd in the country in scoring by averaging 81.8 points per game and 12th in opponents’ points allowed at 65.1 points per game. They rank 40th in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating. T.J. Otzelberger’s squad is led in scoring by Milan Momcilovic, who is averaging 17.1 points and shooting 49.6% on three-point attempts this season.
It has been a rocky season for the Kentucky Wildcats relative to expectations. They hold a 22-13 record and went 10-8 in SEC play. Kentucky ranks 70th in the country in scoring by pouring in 80.8 points per game and 181st in opponents’ points allowed by conceding 73.8 points per contest. The Wildcats rank 59th in offensive rating and 151st in defensive rating. Mark Pope’s squad is led by Otega Oweh, who is posting averages of 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
The winner of this matchup will play the victor of the matchup between third-seeded Virginia and sixth-seeded Tennessee in the second round.
