The No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes are about to play perhaps their most contentious game of the season when they face off against the in-state rival and No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones on Friday night. Both teams started out the year at an excellent pace and are leading their respective Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences. The Hawkeyes have already played 10 games this season but have yet to play a ranked team.

The Cyclones are still a perfect 7-0 and have a solid victory over the then-No. 7 Michigan Wolverines under their belts. The team is looking for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament in order to expand on last season’s early-round loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Both squads may be using Friday’s game as a measuring stick to see just how good each school really is. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup between ranked teams and figure out which side has the best value to wager on.

Iowa at Iowa State Betting Story Lines

Iowa started out the season 9-1, with two solid victories over Notre Dame and Xavier. The team is coming off a 33-point beat down of Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday night. Center Gabe Olaseni had a career night, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes also had five players score in double-digits and received 51 points from their bench.

Iowa held Fairleigh Dickinson to 32 percent shooting from the field and to 31 percent from beyond the arc. The biggest differential was rebounding, where the Hawkeyes out-rebounded their opponents by 22 boards. The team is averaging 46 rebounds per game, which is ranked fifth in the nation. In fact, Iowa is ranked in the Top 10 in points, rebounds and assists per game.

Unfortunately for Iowa, Iowa State is ranked in the Top 4 in points, rebounds and assists per game. The Cyclones are averaging 91.7 points per contest, which is ranked first in the nation. The team also grabs 46.3 rebounds per game and dishes out 19.9 assists as well.

During its last outing, Iowa State played a closer-than-usual matchup against Northern Iowa and needed overtime to put the team away. The Cyclones did not play their best game of the season, but they did receive 22 points from both sophomore guard Georges Niang and senior forward Melvin Ejim. The highest-scoring team in the national also had Dustin Hogue and DeAndre Kane chip in 17 and 18 points, respectively, with both players grabbing double-digit rebounds.

Iowa at Iowa State NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Iowa State opened as a three-point favorite over the underdog Hawkeyes, with the total off the board, according to BetOnline. Iowa State is 6-1 ATS during its last seven nonconference games and 6-1 ATS over its last seven overall games. The team is also 4-1 ATS during its last five games following a SU win and 6-2 ATS over its last eight games following an ATS loss.

Iowa is 6-0 ATS during its last six Friday games and 4-0 ATS after scoring more than 90 points. The team is also 5-2 ATS over its last seven road games. Head-to-head, the “over” is 5-0 during the last five meetings, while the home team has covered six of the last eight matchups. The Hawkeyes are also 1-4 ATS over the last five meetings.

Free College Basketball Picks: Iowa at Iowa State Predictions

Tonight’s in-state rivalry game promises to be an excellent matchup between two very good teams. Both squads have been on an impressive run, and it would not be surprising to see either move up in the rankings. However, for tonight’s game Iowa State seems like the more impressive team. The Cyclones have already faced a tougher schedule, they score more points and grab more rebounds and play better defense. Iowa State feels like a team that is headed for a Top-10 ranking very soon. Take the Cyclones minus the points.

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