Villanova Wildcats (2-2) vs Iowa State Cyclones (3-0)
Game Info: Thursday, November 24, 2022 at 3:30 pm (Moda Center at the Rose Quarter)
Betting Odds: Villanova Wildcats -2.5 -- Over/Under: 130 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Iowa State Cyclones and the Villanova Wildcats will face off in Round 1 of the Phil Knight Invitational this from the Moda Center in Portland on ESPN2.
Iowa State improved to 3-0 after defeating Milwaukee Sunday evening. The Cyclones built an 11-point halftime lead, and held off the Panthers in the second half to earn a third straight double digit victory. Iowa State is scoring 78.7 points per game, while shooting 45.7% from the floor, and 26.9% from the three-point line.
Iowa State is led early by former St. Bonnie’s pairing of Jaren Holmes and Osun Osunniyi. Both of Mark Schmidt’s former three-year starters have found ground early, with Holmes replacing a stud in Tyrese Hunter. Holmes is leading ISU in scoring at 18.3 ppg after scoring 19 in the win over Milwaukee. Osunniyi has paired up with Aljaz Kunz up front to give the Cyclones some size in the paint. Osunniyi scored 16 in the win over A&T, while Kunz double-doubled 17 points and 10 boards.
Villanova dropped to 2-2 after a narrow loss to Michigan State. The Wildcats went into East Lansing and gave the Spartans a fight, trailing by ten at halftime, but coming back to cover for the first time this season. Villanova is scoring 69.2 points per game, while shooting 46.8% from the floor, and 33.7% from the three-point line.
With Collin Gillespie graduating, and Justin Moore still on the shelf, Eric Dixon has taken the wheel offensively. The junior forward scored 20 points in their season opener, and he poured in a game-high 24 points in the loss to MSU last time out. Dixon leads the Wildcats in scoring (19.8) and rebounding (5.8). Chase Daniels had big games against Big 5 rivals La Salle and Temple, and he’s averaging 15.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Fifth-year senior Brandon Slater (13.0, 5.5 rpg) is also thriving in a bigger role.
Iowa State is 2-1 against the spread this season, with a 3-0 over/under record. Villanova is 1-3 ATS this year, with a 2-2 o/u record.
The growing pains are real for Villanova, and their lack of size beyond Dixon and Slater may hurt them here. Iowa State is going to play from the inside-out, and if foul trouble becomes a factor early on, the middle of Nova’s defense will have a target on it. This will mark Iowa State’s first Power 5 taste of competition, so they may have a few growing pains themselves. I like the under here for this cross-country trip.