Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Iowa State vs West Virginia NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Morgantown.

Iowa State vs West Virginia Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Cyclones and Mountaineers. The game is starting at 5:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV. Get ready to place your bets! Iowa State come into this Big 12 conference matchup as the -6.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 136.5 points.

Iowa State vs. West Virginia Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Iowa State Cyclones at West Virginia Mountaineers
Where: Morgantown at WVU Coliseum
Date: Saturday, January 18th
Betting Odds IOWAST -6.5, IOWAST -295 | WVIR +235 O/U 136.5

Cyclones Preview: Pressure Builds for Iowa State as Away Favorites

Iowa State improved to 15-1 on the season with a 74-57 win over Kansas on Wednesday. The Cyclones, who were -5.5 favorites, covered the spread with the victory.

Leading 40-30 at halftime, Iowa State held Kansas to 27 points in the 2nd half while scoring 34. The total points for the game (131) fell short of the O/U line of 143.5.

Cyclones Offense Breakdown

Iowa State put up 74 points in their latest game, shooting 40.7% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They struggled inside, hitting just 34.8% of their two-point attempts, but connected on 61.5% from beyond the arc, going 8-for-13 from three.

Curtis Jones led the way with 25 points, hitting 5-of-6 threes and shooting 52.9% overall. Zeke Mayo and Dishon Jackson each added 17 points, with Mayo hitting 3-of-9 from deep. The Cyclones also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists in the win.

Cyclones Team Defense

Defensively, Iowa State held their opponent to 57 points on 40% shooting from the field. They were particularly effective inside, limiting two-point attempts to just 34% shooting, with the other team making 16 of 46 shots.

However, Iowa State struggled to defend the three-point line, where their opponent shot 61%, hitting 8 of 13 attempts. From the free-throw line, the other team went 18/25, shooting 72%. Iowa State also gave up 13 offensive rebounds.

Mountaineers Preview: Can the Mountaineers Pull Out the Win as Home Underdogs?

West Virginia's record dropped to 12-4 after a 70-54 road loss to Houston on Wednesday, January 15th. The Mountaineers entered the game as +16 point underdogs and pushed against the spread. The total points for the game were 124, just under the 124.5 O/U line.

West Virginia fell behind early, trailing 40-27 at halftime. They scored 27 points in the 2nd half while allowing 30, but couldn't close the gap.

Mountaineers Offense Breakdown

In their last game, West Virginia managed just 54 points, shooting 44.2% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 55.8%, with a 47.6% mark on two-point attempts and 40.9% from three, hitting 9 of 22 shots from deep.

J'Wan Roberts led the way with 22 points, shooting 76.9% (10/13), while L.J. Cryer added 18 points, connecting on 5 of 10 threes. Javon Small contributed 8 assists, and Amani Hansberry hit 3 of 5 from three, finishing with 16 points.

Mountaineers Team Defense

West Virginia's defense gave up 70 points in their last game, allowing the opposing team to shoot 49% from the field. Inside the arc, they hit 56% of their shots, going 14/25.

From three-point range, the opposition made 11 of 26 attempts, shooting 42%. They also connected on 9 of 12 free throws, hitting 75% from the line. West Virginia allowed 9 offensive rebounds.

Cyclones vs Mountaineers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across the Cyclones last ten road games, the team averaged 74 points per game while allowing 69. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 7-2-1, while going 7-3 straight-up.
Across their last five home contests, West Virginia has been good against the spread posting a mark of 3-1-1. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 69 points per game.
Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Mountaineers have a straight up record of 4-6. But, their mark vs the spread was just 5-4-1.
As the betting favorite, the Cyclones have an ATS record of 4-1 in their last five games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 5-0.