Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 12/18/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Friday, December 18, 2020

Location: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: Iowa State (+17.5)

The Iowa State Cyclones (1-3) travel to WVU Coliseum on Friday where they'll meet the West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1). Iowa State opens this game as 17.5-point underdogs. The total is set at 146.

Iowa State will play this game with a mark of 1-3 on the year. They average 72.5 points per contest (192nd in college basketball) on 47.1% from the floor. The Cyclones are hitting 32.4% on shots from distance (35 of 108) and 72.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Iowa State is pulling in 29.3 boards per game and has earned 56 dimes so far this year, which ranks 227th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 14.8 times per contest and as a group are committing 17.0 personal fouls per contest. When they are on defense, the Cyclones have forced 14.8 turnovers per game and they draw 13.0 personal fouls. They are giving up 29.7% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 278th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (78.3). The Cyclones defense is giving up a FG percentage of 47.2% (109 of 231) and they concede 35.8 boards per game as a group. They currently rank 107th in college basketball in giving up assists with 52 surrendered on the year.

The Iowa State Cyclones faced the Kansas State Wildcats and took a loss by a score of 74-65 in their last game. Iowa State ended the contest with a 48.0% FG percentage (24 out of 50) and buried 6 of their 21 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Cyclones made 11 of 16 tries for a percentage of 68.8%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they earned 22 with 3 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 10 assists in this matchup as well as getting 8 steals and 2 blocks. When talking about defending, Iowa State let their opponent shoot 48.0% from the floor on 24 out of 50. Kansas State earned 9 dimes and 8 steals for the game. On top of that, the Wildcats collected 29 rebounds (6 offensive, 23 defensive) and added 2 blocks. Kansas State finished shooting 89.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 26 of 29 attempts. They also made 4 out of their 23 shots from distance.

Rasir Bolton is a guy who was a factor for the matchup. He recorded 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 36 mins and collected 2 rebounds. Bolton finished the game shooting 70.0% from the field and also dished out 7 dimes. Another guy that came through in the matchup for the Cyclones was Solomon Young. He had 6 boards and also totaled 2 dimes. He ended up shooting 66.7% from the floor for this game via 4-of-6 (8 points). Overall, Young was on the hardwood for 31 minutes.

West Virginia has a win-loss record of 6-1 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Mountaineers are shooting 42.4% from the field, which is 259th in college hoops. West Virginia has scored 538 points on the campaign (76.9 per game) and they collect 41.3 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 14.6 times per game (123rd in college hoops) and they cough up possession 11.6 times per game. The Mountaineers commit 16.7 fouls per contest and they shoot 72.8% from the charity stripe. The Mountaineers defensively are ranked 152nd in college hoops in PPG allowed with 68.6. The West Virginia defense surrenders 26.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (39 of 148) and their opponents are converting on 67.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 13.3 dimes and 35.0 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 194th and 154th in the country. They are able to force 13.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (141st in D-1).

The last time they took the court, the West Virginia Mountaineers walked away with a victory by a final of 87-71 when they faced the Richmond Spiders. The Mountaineers were able to collect 29 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in the matchup. They stuffed 2 shots while recording 10 steals in this contest. The Spiders had 15 fouls in this matchup which got the Mountaineers to the free throw line for 13 tries. They were able to knock down 7 of the free throw tries for a rate of 53.8%. Concerning shooting from beyond the arc, West Virginia knocked down 8 of 14 attempts (57.1%). When all was said and done, the Mountaineers shot 36 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 58.1%. The Mountaineers permitted the Spiders to make 23 of 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.4% for the matchup. They finished 23.1% from beyond the perimeter via 6 of 26 and finished the contest at 19 out of 29 from the free throw line (65.5%). Regarding how they rebounded, West Virginia permitted Richmond to snag 32 in all (9 offensive).

Derek Culver was important for the Mountaineers in this contest. He converted 3 of 8 for the game for a rate of 37.5%, which earned him 10 points. Culver snagged 11 rebounds in his 30 mins played and had 2 dimes in this game. One more player who saw a lot of court time for West Virginia was Miles McBride. He totaled 20 points in 28 minutes played by going 9 of 11 from the floor for the contest. McBride walked away from this one going 81.8% from the floor in addition to earning 5 assists and 2 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Iowa State (+17.5)

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