One of the marquee matchups of the made-for-TV event that will dominate college basketball Saturday has No. 14 Iowa State at No. 5 Texas AM in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. With both teams rolling through their respective conference schedules, the break in league play couldn’t have come at a worse time.
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HOW THE IOWA STATE CYCLONES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Cyclones are hot and they can add another top-five team to their list of victims on Saturday. Iowa State dropped No. 1 Oklahoma two weeks ago and overcame No. 4 Kansas on Monday to extend its winning streak to four straight. That’s the strength of the Big 12. Start off slow like Iowa State did and nobody blames you. Incredibly talented teams will beat each other and some games will be a bit surprising when, really, it’s the expected. The Cyclones can make it five in a row by knocking off No. 5 Texas AM as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
To beat quality opponents your best players need to be your best players, and that’s what happened with Iowa State. Monte Morris, the point guard nobody seems to be talking about, continued his display of brilliance by totaling 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting while adding four rebounds and nine assists with zero turnovers while playing all 40 minutes against Kansas. Think about that. He played the entire game dealing with Frank Mason and produced those numbers. Morris may have to continue his incredible play, because it doesn’t seem as if Hallice Cooke will be available to help out any time soon.
HOW THE TEXAS AM AGGIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Texas AM enters Wednesday’s game against Arkansas as the hottest team in college basketball. The Aggies’ 10-game winning streak is their longest in five years and they’re off to their best 19-game start in nearly a century. That success has the No. 5 Aggies surging to their highest-ever ranking.
Jalen Jones is a major reason for those runs. He sparked the Aggies comeback victory over Missouri on Saturday with 20 points, the fourth time in five games he’s scored at least that many, and is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game. Danuel House is second in scoring and hometown kid Alex Caruso is the undisputed heart of the roster. The three give coach Bill Kennedy valuable senior leadership.
The Aggies may not have to deal with Iowa State’s Jameel McKay, who left Tuesday’s game with a sore knee and didn’t know what his future held. The forward leads the Cyclones in rebounding and blocks while scoring 12.8 points per game. His absence leaves a big void in the middle which the Aggies will certainly try to exploit with Jones and House.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Iowa State has strung some impressive wins together, knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 4 Kansas a week apart. The Cyclones also hung an L on Iowa, currently ranked third in the country, back in December. But – and there’s always a but – those wins came at Hilton Coliseum, where the Cyclones are a different team. Three of their four losses came away from home with stunners against Northern Iowa and Texas, and they will likely be without McKay, who’s anchored the middle with Georges Niang all season. And that opens the door for the Aggies, who are the only unbeaten team in the SEC play and haven’t lost at home all season. Led by a collection of seniors and freshmen, the Aggies have smothered their opponents with tough defense and efficient offense. They will wear down the Cyclones, who lacked depth even before McKay’s knee flareup, and will get the home win.
Texas AM 81, Iowa State 76
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