Omaha Mavericks vs Iowa State Cyclones NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/15/24

Planning on watching today’s Mavericks and Cyclones game? Catch the action at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA, as the Cyclones hosts this showdown at 1:00 ET on CBSS. The odds for this non-conference game currently have Iowa State as the -37.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 148.5 points.
OMAHA MAVERICKS VS IOWA STATE CYCLONES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Omaha Mavericks +37.5
This game will be played at Hilton Coliseum at 1:00 ET on Sunday, December 15th.
WHY BET THE OMAHA MAVERICKS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 79-68 in favor of the Cyclones.
- Even though we have Iowa State winning straight-up, we like Omaha at +37.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 148.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 147 points.
No Pressure for Omaha as Away Dogs
Omaha’s season record fell to 3-8 after a 78-58 road loss to Northern Iowa on Friday, December 13th. The Mavericks entered the game as +14 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.
Omaha trailed 34-23 at halftime and allowed 44 points in the 2nd half while scoring 35. The game’s total points of 136 fell short of the O/U line of 142.
In their last game, the Mavericks managed just 58 points, shooting 36.8% from the field. They connected on 37.5% of their threes, hitting 12 of 32 attempts, while struggling from the line, shooting 40% on 10 free throws.
Jacob Hutson led the way with 21 points and 5 assists, shooting 54.5% overall. Trey Campbell added 20 points, hitting 4 of 6 threes and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Omaha’s defense gave up 78 points in their last game, with their opponents shooting 47% from the field, hitting 22 of 46 shots. That included 16 makes on 32 two-point attempts, a 50% success rate.
From beyond the arc, Omaha allowed 6 threes on 14 attempts, with their opponents shooting 42% from deep. They also sent them to the free-throw line 35 times, where they converted 28 free throws, an 80% clip. Omaha gave up 5 offensive rebounds.
Can the Cyclones Secure a Win at Home?
The Cyclones improved to 8-1 on the season with an 89-80 win over Iowa on Thursday. Iowa State, who were -5.5 favorites, covered the spread in the victory.
After trailing 44-37 at halftime, Iowa State turned things around by scoring 52 points in the 2nd half while holding Iowa to 36. The game’s total points of 169 went over the 160.5 O/U line.
Iowa State put up 89 points in their last game, shooting 44.3% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range. They connected on 11 threes, with an effective field goal percentage of 51.4%.
Curtis Jones led the way with 23 points, hitting 5 of 8 from deep. Joshua Jefferson added 19 points and 10 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists. The Cyclones grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and finished with 16 assists as a team.
Despite Iowa State’s defensive efforts, they gave up 80 points on 44% shooting from the field. The Cyclones allowed their opponents to hit 17 of 35 two-point attempts, good for 48%.
From beyond the arc, Iowa State’s defense couldn’t contain the three-point shooting, as they allowed 11 threes on 28 attempts, a 39% success rate. They also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 15 times, where they converted 13 for 86%.