Iowa State vs Iowa Prediction College Basketball Picks 12/12/24

The Iowa State Cyclones and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Thursday in college basketball action from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Here’s an Iowa State vs Iowa prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa State vs Iowa pick. We will examine:

The Iowa State Cyclones’ recent form and player performance

The Iowa Hawkeyes’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Iowa State Cyclones

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Iowa Hawkeyes

Recent betting trends in games played between Iowa State and Iowa

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Iowa State vs Iowa game

Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview

Iowa State has just one blemish on the card so far: a November 25 loss to Auburn. Otherwise, it’s been wins over MS Valley State, UMKC, IUPUI, Dayton, Colorado, Marquette, and Jackson State in succession.

In the Jackson State game, the Cyclones were up 46-24 by halftime. Iowa State hit a 54-34 run in the second for a 100-58 blowout win. Leading scorer Curtis Jones came off the bench for 19 points and five boards in the victory effort.  

Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview

Over on the Hawkeyes’ side, they’ve beaten East Texas A&M, Southern, South Dakota, Washington State, Rider, USC Upstate, and Northwestern this year. Iowa has fallen otherwise to Utah State and Michigan for a 7-2 overall run.

On Saturday in the matchup with the Wolverines, the Hawkeyes were behind 40-37 going into the second half. Iowa didn’t end up closing the gap and fell 85-83. Payton Sandfort was the top team scorer with 19 points and four assists with four rebounds.

Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win

• Iowa has won each of its last 12 games against non-conference opponents at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Iowa State has lost each of its last four night games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Iowa State has lost the first half in each of its last four night games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win

• Iowa State has won 23 of its last 24 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Iowa has lost 14 of its last 15 night games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
• Iowa has lost the first half in each of its last four home games against AP-ranked opponents.

Iowa State vs Iowa Prediction

I’ll lean toward Iowa State. This should be a pretty fun matchup, though. The Cyclones are coming off a pretty easy win versus an overmatched Jackson State team. Iowa State shot a nice 50.7 percent with 42 rebounds in that one, scoring 33 points off 24 Tigers turnovers. The Cyclones are on a scoring tear this year; they’ve hit 81 or more points in all eight games.

As for Iowa, they’re coming off a tough road matchup versus Michigan. The Hawkeyes shot a tepid 41.6 percent from the field in that defeat and got out-rebounded 45-30. Iowa has been no slouch when it comes to scoring either, with 76 or more points in eight of nine games (69 in the outlier loss versus Utah State). This one should be a high-scoring finish as well, and in the end, I like Iowa State to power out the road win/cover. It’ll be a great one to watch.