Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

TV: ESPN+

WVU Coliseum is where the West Virginia Mountaineers (12-4) will compete against the Iowa State Cyclones (15-1) on Saturday.

The Iowa State Cyclones faced off with Kansas and took home the win by a score of 74-57 in their last contest. In the matter of personal fouls, the Cyclones ended up with 14 and Kansas totaled 17 personal fouls. They also knocked down 5 of 16 shots from beyond the arc. Kansas finished the contest at 36.4% from the charity stripe by making 4 of 11 attempts. On top of that, Kansas totaled 31 rebounds (8 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Kansas doled out 16 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. Concerning defending, Iowa State allowed the other team to go 40.7% from the floor on 24 of 59 shooting. They also doled out 17 assists for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 17 turnovers and earning 11 steals. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 37 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cyclones buried 18 of 25 tries for a rate of 72.0%. Iowa State walked away from the contest having earned a 40.7% FG percentage (24 out of 59) and converted 8 out of their 13 shots from 3-point land.

Curtis Jones is one guy who was a major contributor in this game. He ended up going 52.9% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. He played for 36 mins and totaled 6 rebounds. He scored 25 points on 9 of 17 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Best Bets Picks

Iowa State steps onto the court with a mark of 15-1 so far this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.1 times per game and as a unit they commit 14.8 fouls per game. As a unit, Iowa State is pulling in 37.3 boards per contest and is sitting with 268 dimes for the year, which ranks 91st in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Cyclones are shooting 35.7% on 3-point shots (119 of 333) and 74.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 85.4 pts per contest (14th in Division 1) while shooting 49.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Cyclones are able to force 15.8 turnovers per game and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. They currently rank 170th in Division 1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 219 relinquished on the year. The Cyclones defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 40.7% (380 of 934) and they relinquish 31.7 rebounds per game as a group. They are relinquishing 31.9% on 3-point shots while they are 39th in college in points per game from their opponents (65.3).

The last time they took the court, the West Virginia Mountaineers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 70-54 when they faced Houston. The Mountaineers were able to snag 14 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 17 in this game. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while recording 5 steals in the matchup. Houston had 11 fouls for the contest which got the Mountaineers to the charity stripe for a total of 11 tries. They were able to knock down 7 of the free throws for a percentage of 63.6%. With respect to shooting from downtown, West Virginia made 9 of their 22 attempts (40.9%). At the conclusion of this game, the Mountaineers walked away from this one shooting 19 for 43 from the floor which had them at 44.2%. The Mountaineers allowed Houston to bury 25 of their 51 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 49.0% for the matchup. They went 42.3% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 11 of 26 and finished the game at 9 of 12 at the free throw line (75.0%). In reference to attacking the glass, West Virginia allowed Houston to pull down 30 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Amani Hansberry ended up having an impact for the Mountaineers in the game. He knocked down 6 out of 8 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 75.0%, and had 1 rebound. He totaled 16 points in his 20 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to get an assist.

West Virginia has a record of 12-4 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Mountaineers are shooting 43.6% from the field, which has them ranked 251st in college. West Virginia has scored 1,171 pts for the season (73.2 per contest) and they pull in 35.3 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.9 times per game (174th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 11.2 times per contest. The Mountaineers are committing 16.8 fouls per game and they connect on 74.9% from the charity stripe.

The Mountaineers are ranked 26th in D-1 in PPG given up with 64.3. They are forcing 13.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 38.9% from the field (20th in college). The West Virginia defense surrenders 29.2% on shots from beyond the arc (99 of 339) and their opposition knocks down 73.8% of their free throw attempts. They allow 10.3 dimes and 36.4 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 24th and 279th in Division 1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Iowa State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here