The matchup between the No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers and No. 14 Iowa St Cyclones looked a lot juicier before Saturday's games. Both the Mountaineers and Cyclones were routed on the road in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, by Florida and Texas A&M respectively, and will fall in the rankings come Monday. Even with that the case, this game is still important and will play a role in the Big XII Title race.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Huggy Bear was livid after his Mountaineers registered their worst loss of the season to a Florida team that needed a win to have any shot to make the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia turned the ball over 17 times and struggled to find any sort of rhythm offensively without the suspended Jonathan Holton.
It wasn't very surprising that they struggled from the field, but Florida outrebounding them in the game was very surprising considering they average outrebounding opponents by 10 boards a game.
Will this happen again against the Cyclones? Probably not. Although Holton's status for this game is still up in the air, the Mountaineers have one of the best rebounders in the Big XII in Devin Williams and others will pick up the slack. Williams is averaging 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and as long as he stays out of foul trouble, is a terror in the paint.
The other thing WVU has going for it is it still has Jaysean Paige. Paige is the team's leading scorer and was the one Mountaineer that managed to shoot well against Florida, hitting 70 percent from the field. He comes up big against great teams as well, having scored 18 against Oklahoma and 26 against Kansas.
His shooting ability will be sorely needed in Ames on Tuesday night.
HOW THE IOWA ST CYCLONES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Cyclones have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and are extremely difficult to beat at home. Iowa St has home wins against Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas and will be favored to add West Virginia to this list on Tuesday night.
The Cyclones are one of the best shooting teams in college basketball with three of their starters, Georges Niang, Monte Norris, and Jameel McKay, all shooting better than 50 percent from the field for the season.
Niang leads the team in scoring with 19.3 PPG and also hauls down 6.4 boards a game. Morris is second on the team in scoring with 15.5 PPG and leads the team with seven assists per game. McKay places third in scoring, 12.8 PPG, and leads the team in rebounds with 9.1 per game.
These three are extremely efficient and their excellence in areas outside of shooting highlights a multifaceted attack that is difficult to stop.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
West Virginia has been a quality team for bettors this NCAAB season with an 11-7 ATS mark. The Mountaineers were on a bit of a tear before the loss at Florida, having gone 5-1 ATS in their previous conference games.
Iowa St. has been similarly good with a 10-7-1 record against the number. Like West Virginia they were hot in conference play before their loss, covering four straight spreads as a favorite.
The most important factor in this game is whether or not Jonathan Holton will play, regardless of whether Bob Huggins cares to admit it. With Holton, the Mountaineers have a shot and his presence ups the likelihood that Devin Williams stays out of fouls trouble. Without him, the Cyclones could run away with this one, especially if Williams starts racking up fouls early.
Since it sounds like Holton won't be playing in this one either, look for the Cyclones to run away with it and add to their already impressive resume at Hilton.
Iowa St. 84, West Virginia 71
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Iowa St Cyclones is scheduled for Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 9:00 p.m. ET at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
