Iowa State Cyclones vs Baylor Bears Prediction, 2/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa State Cyclones vs Baylor Bears

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Location: Foster Pavilion in Waco, TX

TV: ESPN

The Baylor Bears (15-5) are hosting the Iowa State Cyclones (16-4) at Foster Pavilion on Saturday.

The Iowa State Cyclones played Kansas and notched a win by a score of 79-75 in their last contest. Iowa State ended the contest with a 45.9% FG percentage (28 out of 61) and made 14 out of their 30 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Cyclones knocked down 9 of their 18 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 33 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 18 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In relation to defense, Iowa State allowed the other team to go 45.0% from the floor on 27 out of 60 shooting. Kansas recorded 18 assists and had 5 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Kansas pulled down 38 rebounds (11 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Kansas finished shooting 73.7% at the free throw line by burying 14 of their 19 attempts. They also knocked down 7 of their 20 attempts from downtown. In regard to fouls, the Cyclones finished with 17 while Kansas finished the game with 17 fouls.

Keshon Gilbert is one guy who was a contributor for the game. He accounted for 16 points on 6 out of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins played and also totaled 6 rebounds. He finished the game at 60.0% from the floor and dished out 3 dimes.

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Iowa State comes into this one with a mark of 16-4 on the season. They are turning it over 11.1 times per game and as a group are committing 15.9 personal fouls every game. As a team, Iowa State is collecting 35.7 boards per contest and has totaled 349 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 30th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Cyclones are connecting on 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc (136 of 383) and 69.1% from the free throw line. They average 80.5 points per contest (48th in the country) while connecting on 48.3% from the field.

On defense, the Cyclones are forcing 18.2 turnovers per game and they draw 19.4 fouls. They are conceding 33.3% from 3-point land and they rank 6th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (61.8). The Cyclones defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 39.9% (412 of 1,032) and they surrender 31.8 boards per game as a group. They are currently ranked 99th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 245 conceded for the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Baylor Bears got the victory with a final of 77-69 when they faced UCF. The Bears recorded 18 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 25 in this contest. They turned the ball over 9 times, while getting 8 steals for this game. UCF earned 19 fouls for this contest which got the Bears to the charity stripe for a total of 25 attempts. They were able to make 20 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 80.0%. Regarding shots from distance, Baylor knocked down 9 out of 20 attempts (45.0%). When all was said and done, the Bears ended up going 24 out of 51 from the floor which had them sitting at 47.1%. The Bears allowed UCF to knock down 27 out of 50 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 54.0% in the game. They finished 51.9% from 3-point land by connecting on 14 out of 27 and ended up shooting 1 of 7 at the charity stripe (14.3%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Baylor allowed UCF to collect 26 in all (7 offensive).

Langston Love was important for the Bears in this contest. He buried 6 of 11 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 54.5%, and earned 7 rebounds. He tallied 24 points in his 28 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this contest.

Baylor has a record of 15-5 this season. The Bears are responsible for committing 16.5 fouls per game and they connect on 72.7% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.0 times per contest (44th in college hoops) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.5 times per contest. Baylor has accounted for 1,693 points so far this season (84.7 per contest) and they grab 35.8 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bears are hitting on 49.3% from the floor, which ranks them 14th in college basketball.

The Baylor defense allows 33.1% on 3-point shots (133 of 402) and their opposition knocks down 72.0% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.1 dimes and 30.0 rebounds every game, ranking them 197th and 10th in those categories. The Bears on defense are ranked 152nd in the country in PPG surrendered with 71.0. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.1% from the floor (280th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Iowa State

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