Iowa State Cyclones vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 2/22/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa State Cyclones vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025

Location: Fertitta Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN+

Fertitta Center is the location where the Houston Cougars (22-4) will take on the Iowa State Cyclones (21-5) on Saturday.

The Iowa State Cyclones played Colorado and earned the victory with a final of 79-65 in their last game. Iowa State walked away from the contest having earned a 51.1% field goal percentage (24 of 47) and knocked down 10 out of their 21 three-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Cyclones buried 21 of their 31 tries for a rate of 67.7%. Pertaining to rebounding, they earned 29 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 19 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When discussing the defense, Iowa State allowed 45.3% from the floor on 24 of 53 shooting. Colorado doled out 10 dimes and had 6 steals in the game. Furthermore, Colorado collected 28 rebounds (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Colorado ended up shooting 59.1% from the charity stripe by making 13 of 22 tries. They made 4 of their 17 shots from three-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Cyclones finished with 20 while Colorado finished the game with 25 personal fouls.

Dishon Jackson is a player who played a role in this contest. He recorded 13 points on 3 of 4 shooting. He played 21 mins played and pulled down 3 boards. He shot 75.0% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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Iowa State comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 21-5 so far this season. They average 81.3 points per outing (31st in the nation) while going 48.3% from the field. The Cyclones are connecting on 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (188 of 540) and 74.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Iowa State is pulling down 36.7 rebounds per game and has accounted for 392 dimes on the year, which is 109th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 11.5 times per game and as a squad they are committing 15.3 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Cyclones are forcing 15.3 turnovers per game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They give up 33.2% from beyond the arc and they rank 49th in D-1 in PPG allowed (66.9). The Cyclones defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.6% (626 of 1,504) and they concede 31.4 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 155th in college in giving up assists with 339 surrendered so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Houston Cougars got the victory with a final of 80-65 when they played Arizona State. The Cougars were able to pull down 22 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 32 in the game. They also turned it over 9 times, while earning 6 steals in the matchup. Arizona State committed 17 personal fouls in this game which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 20 shots. They were able to knock down 17 of them for a percentage of 85.0%. Regarding shooting from 3-point land, Houston knocked down 11 out of 23 attempts (47.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Cougars walked away from this one shooting 26 out of 54 from the field which had them at 48.1%. The Cougars allowed Arizona State to convert 19 of their 44 tries from the field which had them shooting 43.2% for the contest. They went 36.4% from beyond the arc by going 8 out of 22 and ended up shooting 19 out of 26 from the charity stripe (73.1%). In regard to rebounds, Houston permitted Arizona State to get 19 in all (5 offensive).

LJ Cryer ended up being a factor for the Cougars for the matchup. He made 6 of 13 for the matchup for a rate of 46.2%, and earned 4 rebounds. He recorded 18 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and had 6 assists in this matchup.

Houston has a mark of 22-4 for the season. The Cougars commit 16.7 fouls per contest and they shoot 73.1% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 13.2 times per contest (217th in the nation) and they cough up possession 9.1 times per contest. Houston has accounted for 1,960 pts on the season (75.4 per game) and they average 37.1 boards per game. As an offense, the Cougars are hitting on 46.0% from the field, which ranks them 116th in Division 1.

The Houston defense surrenders 31.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (182 of 574) and their opponents are knocking down 67.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 10.8 assists and 30.9 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 30th and 22nd in those defensive categories. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 1st in D-1 in PPG given up with 57.6. They are able to force 14.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 38.3% from the field (6th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Iowa State

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