Baylor Bears vs Iowa State Cyclones Prediction, 1/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Baylor Bears vs Iowa State Cyclones

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Baylor (-15.5)

The Iowa State Cyclones (2-4) host the Baylor Bears (8-0) at James H. Hilton Coliseum on Saturday. Baylor opens this game as 15.5-point favorites. The O/U is set at 148.5.

Baylor will play this contest with a record of 8-0 for the year. They currently have an average of 95.0 points per contest (3rd in college basketball) while hitting 52.1% from the field. The Bears are shooting 45.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (95 of 207) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Baylor is snagging 40.0 rebounds per game and has totaled 177 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 14th in college basketball in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 11.5 times per contest and as a unit are committing 15.9 fouls on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Bears have forced 19.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.1 fouls. The Bears defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 41.5% (183 of 441) and they surrender 29.9 boards per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 183rd in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 96 conceded on the season. They are surrendering 31.7% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 41st in college basketball in PPG allowed (62.3).

The Baylor Bears faced the Alcorn State Braves and took home the win by a score of 105-76 in their last contest. Baylor ended the contest having earned a 54.0% FG percentage (34 out of 63) and converted 12 of 28 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bears buried 25 of their 31 attempts for a rate of 80.6%. In terms of pulling down boards, they compiled 35 with 16 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 23 assists for the matchup while having 10 steals and 5 blocks. When it comes to defense, Baylor let their opponent shoot 54.0% from the floor on 34 of 63 shooting. Alcorn State dished out 10 assists and had 9 steals in this game. Moreover, the Braves snagged 25 rebounds (13 offensive, 12 defensive) and got 5 blocks. Alcorn State walked away from this one shooting 66.7% at the free throw line by making 22 of 33 tries. They also converted 6 of their 17 tries from long range.

MaCio Teague is someone who was a contributor in this game. He racked up 18 points on 4 out of 9 shooting. He played 20 mins played and also totaled 2 boards. Teague finished shooting 44.4% from the field and totaled 3 dimes. One more player that was a major factor in this contest for the Bears was Jared Butler. He collected 2 rebounds and also totaled 3 assists. He finished the game at 75.0% from the field in this contest by shooting 6-of-8 (17 points). Overall, Butler played for 21 min.

Iowa State has a record of 2-4 on the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cyclones are shooting 47.1% from the floor, which ranks them 107th in college basketball. Iowa State has 415 pts this year (69.2 per game) and they collect 32.0 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.5 times per game (235th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 16.5 times per contest. The Cyclones commit 18.7 fouls per game and they hit 73.4% from the free throw line. The Cyclones defensively are ranked 200th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 71.3. They have forced 14.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.9% from the field (158th in D-1). The Iowa State defense concedes 27.4% on shots from distance (32 of 117) and opponents are connecting on 76.6% of their foul shots. They have allowed 11.7 assists and 36.0 boards per game, which is ranked 101st and 202nd in Division 1.

The last time they took the court, the Iowa State Cyclones went home victorious with a score of 60-45 against the Jackson State Tigers. The Cyclones were able to collect 31 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 for this game. They blocked 6 shots while earning 4 steals in the matchup. The Tigers committed 18 fouls for the contest which took the Cyclones to the charity stripe for a total of 15 attempts. They were able to bury 12 of the free throw tries for a rate of 80.0%. In the matter of shooting from downtown, Iowa State made 4 of their 13 attempts (30.8%). Overall, the Cyclones went 22 for 49 from the field which gave them a rate of 44.9%. The Cyclones allowed the Tigers to convert 14 of their 58 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 24.1% for this game. They went 16.7% from distance by going 2 of 12 and finished the contest at 15 out of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Iowa State allowed Jackson State to get 32 in total (12 on the offensive side).

Solomon Young ended up being a major contributor for the Cyclones in this contest. He converted 8 of 14 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 57.1%, which got him 18 points. Young pulled down 8 rebounds in his 32 minutes and had 2 assists for the contest. An additional guy who was a determining factor for Iowa State was Jalen Coleman-Lands. He racked up 16 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood by way of 6 of 12 from the floor for the contest. Coleman-Lands ended the game having shot 50.0% from the floor as well as contributing 2 dimes and 9 boards.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Baylor (-15.5)

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