Iowa State vs UCF Prediction 2/11/25 College Basketball Picks

The Iowa State Cyclones and the UCF Knights meet Tuesday in college basketball action from CFE Arena. Here’s an Iowa State vs UCF prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa State vs UCF pick. We will examine: 

The Iowa State Cyclones’ recent form and player performance

The UCF Knights’ recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Iowa State Cyclones

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UCF Knights

Recent betting trends in games played between Iowa State and UCF

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

Iowa State Cyclones Betting Preview

Overall Iowa State has had a pretty nice run this year, but they’ve struggled in the win column lately. The Cyclones went an excellent 15-1 over their first 16 outings, taking out MS Valley State, Kansas City, IUPUI, Dayton, Colorado, Marquette, Jackson State, Iowa, Omaha, Morgan State, Colorado,  Baylor, Utah, Texas Tech and Kansas. Since then it’s been a shaky 3-4 run, though. The wins in that time came against UCF, Arizona State, and TCU. Otherwise, it was losses to West Virginia, Arizona, Kansas State, and Kansas, giving the Cyclones an 18-5 overall record through their first 23 games of the season. 

In the TCU matchup over the weekend, the Cyclones came out of the gate with a 42-24 advantage. Iowa State kept it up in the second half with a 40-28 run and took the eventual win 82-52 in blowout fashion. Leading the team in scoring was Curtis Jones, who came off the bench to provide 24 points with one rebound and one assist in 28 minutes. Joshua Jefferson added a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals as well. 

UCF Knights Betting Preview 

Over on the Central Florida side, they were looking pretty good over their first dozen games but it’s been a struggle since then. The Knights beat Texas A&M, Fort Wayne, FAU, Tennessee Tech, Milwaukee, Cal Baptist, Tarleton State, Tulsa, Jacksonville, and Texas Tech in those first 12 outings. It’s been a 3-8 stretch in the last 11, though. Those wins were over Colorado, Arizona State, and TCU. Otherwise, it was losses to Kansas, Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, BYU, Cincinnati, and Baylor. That gives the Knights a 13-10 overall record so far. 

In the Baylor game on Saturday, the Knights held a 45-36 deficit in the locker room. UCF was outscored 46-40 the rest of the way during a 91-76 loss. Leading the team in scoring was Keyshawn Hall with 19 points, eight boards, and two assists. Moustapha Thiam chipped in 18 points with three boards, and Darius Johnson had 12 points with five assists in the defeat. 

Why the UCF Knights will win

• UCF has won seven of its last eight Tuesday night games at Addition Financial Arena.
• Iowa State has lost three of its last four road games.
• UCF has won the first half in 25 of its last 33 night games at Addition Financial Arena.

Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win

• UCF has lost 11 of its last 12 games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
• Iowa State has won 32 of its last 36 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Twenty-one of Iowa State’s last 24 night games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 148 or fewer points.
• Each of UCF’s last five night games against Conference opponents has produced a total of 168+ points.

Iowa State vs UCF Prediction 

I’m just going to stay with Iowa State. The Cyclones didn’t have a ton of trouble versus a middling TCU team in their last outing, hitting a nice 59.6 percent from the field with 30 rebounds and 17 team assists. The turnovers (15 for 12 points) got a little sloppy, but that’s about the only thing to complain about. It was a much-needed victory following a three-game skid that featured just 113 combined points in the Kansas State and Kansas games. 

These teams saw each other back on January 21 in a 108-83 home win for the Cyclones. In that one, Iowa State jumped out to a 54-36 halftime edge and ended up with 56.3 percent shooting. The 43-29 rebounding edge, 19 assists, and 16 steals were a nice touch, as were the 25 points off 19 UCF turnovers. The Knights likely won’t be quite so sloppy in the rematch, so Iowa State is going to have to rely on another hot shooting outing and dominance on the boards. The Cyclones should be able to pull it off if all goes well.