The Iowa State Cyclones were ranked in the Top 5 in the land entering last week, and many believed they had a legitimate claim to being ranked No. 1. That won't be the case now that they've been knocked from the ranks of the unbeatens following a loss against Northern Iowa.
Now, they could be staring a second straight defeat in the face when they visit the Cincinnati Bearcats.
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HOW THE IOWA STATE CYCLONES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Iowa State was actually never covering against Northern Iowa, and it's tough to suggest that it did much wrong in the game offensively. The team shot 52.5 percent from the field, and Georges Niang was a beast, scoring 30 points. ISU only turned the ball over 10 times, and it would be nitpicking to get on its 3-for-17 showing from beyond the arc considering the fact that it still put 79 points on the board.
Of course, it's tough to blame the Cyclones for their defense as well. UNI shot 13-of-22 from beyond the arc, stats that most can't put up with no defense on the court whatsoever. Shots were contested, but Paul Jesperson was simply just unconscious from deep.
The key here is going to be rebounding emotionally. It's tough to play on the road as it is, and though the Bearcats aren't really capable of putting together the same type of scoring effort as the Panthers did, that doesn't make them any less dangerous offensively.
Iowa State just has to be Iowa State for our money. Get off more shots, be efficient with shot selection and utilize its great athleticism. That should be enough to see the Cyclones through.
HOW THE CINCINNATI BEARCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
If Northern Iowa's path to beating the Cyclones is going to be the only way to beat them this year, good luck, Cincinnati. The Bearcats are a legit Top 25 team with 10 wins already on the season, and they're coming off of a huge win at VCU in their own right.
Cincinnati most certainly can slow this game down, and it is going to have to do so to have any shot at a cover. The Bearcats though, are going to have to get a superhuman effort as a team from beyond the arc to get the job done as well.
That means getting great efforts from Farad Cobb, Troy Caupain and Shaq Thomas from long range. Caupain in particular, is a horribly inefficient shooter from deep, connecting on just 29.3 percent of his chances, and he has to be much better than that in this game for the Cats to have a shot at this upset.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
We just don't like the chances for Cincinnati here, and we think there's going to be a bit of an overlay after Saturday's game. The Cyclones would probably beat Northern Iowa nine times out of 10, while Cincinnati probably isn't quite as good as its 10-2 record suggests.
There's just going to be too much offense here for the Bearcats to overcome. We suspect that Niang is going to lead yet another really good offensive charge, and if the Cyclones can get in the 70s again in this one as they do just about every time on the court, they should win and cover.
Iowa State 78, Cincinnati 68
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