Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/18/25
Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Cyclones versus the Mountaineers? Tip off is at at 5:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV. Iowa State is favored by -6.5 in this Big 12 conference showdown. The game’s over/under is currently at 136.5 points.
IOWA STATE CYCLONES VS WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS BETTING PICK
The Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers +6.5
This game will be played at WVU Coliseum at 5:00 ET on Saturday, January 18th.
WHY BET THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-69 in favor of the Mountaineers.
- Not only will West Virginia pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +6.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 136.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.
Do the Cyclones Have What it Takes on the Road?
Iowa State improved to 15-1 on the season with a 74-57 win over Kansas on Wednesday. The Cyclones were -5.5 favorites and covered the spread with the victory.
Leading 40-30 at halftime, Iowa State added 34 points in the second half while holding Kansas to 27. The game’s total points of 131 fell short of the 143.5 over/under line.
Iowa State put up 74 points in their last game, shooting 40.7% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They struggled inside, hitting just 34.8% of their two-point attempts, but were sharp from beyond the arc, connecting on 61.5% of their threes (8/13).
Curtis Jones led the way with 25 points, hitting 5 of 6 from deep and shooting 52.9% overall. Zeke Mayo and Dishon Jackson each added 17 points, with Mayo shooting 36.8% from the field. The Cyclones also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists, while hitting 72% of their free throws (18/25).
Despite Iowa State’s strong defensive effort, they couldn’t contain their opponent’s three-point shooting, allowing 8 threes on 13 attempts for a 61% success rate. Overall, the Cyclones gave up 57 points, with their opponent shooting 40% from the field on 24 of 59 attempts.
Iowa State held their opponent to just 34% shooting from two-point range, with 16 makes on 46 attempts. From the free-throw line, their opponent hit 18 of 25 shots, good for 72%. The Cyclones also allowed 13 offensive rebounds.
Can the Mountaineers Please their Home Crowd?
West Virginia Mountaineers Recent Game/Games
West Virginia fell to 12-4 on the season after a 70-54 road loss to Houston on Wednesday. The Mountaineers entered the game as +16 point underdogs and pushed against the spread.
After trailing 40-27 at halftime, West Virginia scored 27 points in the 2nd half while allowing 30. The game’s total points of 124 came in just under the O/U line of 124.5.
West Virginia’s offense struggled in their last game, putting up just 54 points. They shot 44.2% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 55.8%. From beyond the arc, they hit 9 of 22 attempts, shooting 40.9%, while connecting on 7 of 11 free throws (63.6%).
J’Wan Roberts led the way with 22 points, shooting 76.9% from the field. L.J. Cryer added 18 points, hitting 5 threes at a 50% clip. Javon Small contributed 8 assists, while Amani Hansberry and Emanuel Sharp each knocked down 3 triples.
West Virginia’s defense gave up 70 points, allowing their opponent to shoot 49% from the field. They struggled to contain two-point shots, with their opponent hitting 56% (14/25).
From beyond the arc, West Virginia allowed 11 threes on 26 attempts, a 42% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the line 12 times, where they converted 9 free throws (75%).