The Iowa State Cyclones take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, IA. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Iowa State is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -270. The total is set at 159.5 points.
Here’s my Iowa State vs. Iowa predictions and college basketball picks for December 12, 2024.
Iowa State vs Iowa Prediction
My Pick: Iowa State -6.5 (Play to -9)
My Iowa State vs Iowa best bet is on the Clones spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Iowa State vs Iowa Odds, Spread
| Iowa State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total Points | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 161.5 -110 / -110 | -230 |
| Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total Points | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 161.5 -110 / -110 | +190 |
- Iowa State vs Iowa spread: Iowa State -5.5
- Iowa State vs Iowa over/under: 161.5 points
- Iowa State vs Iowa moneyline: Iowa State -230, Iowa +190
- Iowa State vs Iowa best bet: Iowa State -6.5 (Play to -9)
My Iowa State vs Iowa NCAAB Betting Preview
One of the more underrated rivalries in all of college basketball returns on Thursday when Iowa hosts in-state rival Iowa State in Iowa City.
An interesting trend in recent renditions of this rivalry has emerged — six straight games in this series have been won by a margin of 14 or more points. Blowouts have become common, which makes some sense given the stylistic differences between the two programs.
As always, Iowa State is elite defensively this season. The Cyclones rank 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency, and if this holds at the end of the year, this will be their fourth consecutive season with a top-10 defense.
One major difference with Iowa State this year is it's playing faster. After grading outside the top 200 in tempo in the past three seasons, this year's version is ranked 89th, which should be a good sign heading into this matchup against an Iowa program that loves to run.
For years, Iowa has made its living off of playing fast with elite offenses. This year's version is trying to do the same, but it's run into some roadblocks.
The offense just hasn't been as elite as previous versions. Personnel-wise, this makes sense, as there is no All-American on this team like Keegan Murray or Luka Garza. Payton Sandfort has taken on the superstar role, but Sandfort is making just 31% of his 3s on the season.
As a whole, the Iowa offense ranks 33rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, and if this holds for the rest of the season, it would mark just the second time in 11 years that Fran McCaffery hasn't had a top-30 offense.
The only mark on Iowa State's resume is a two-point loss to Auburn, which has an argument for being the best team in the country. Iowa State led that game by 18 points in the first half, and it showed that it belongs with the best teams in college hoops.
Iowa's run up to this game has been a different story. The Hawkeyes are 0-2 against top-50 opponents, and their most impressive win came at home against Northwestern by just one point.
Given the history of this series, it would be wise to expect the better team to create some separation. This is arguably the best version of Iowa State ever, and this year's Iowa team has holes that past versions have not had.
Expect the Cyclones to suffocate the Hawkeyes' best player and win comfortably by double digits.
