Long Beach State vs Iowa State Prediction 12/21/2025 Today’s College Basketball Picks
Chris Ruffolo
Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) goes for a layup around Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) during the first half in the men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.
MATCHUP
Long Beach State 49ers
Iowa State Cyclones
Team Records
3-9
11-0
Where
Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA
When
Sunday, December 21, 2025
Time
06:00 PM EST
TV
ESPN+
The Long Beach State Beach and the Iowa State Cyclones meet Sunday in college basketball action from the Hilton Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Long Beach State Beach vs. Iowa State Cyclones prediction.
Long Beach State Beach Recap
The Long Beach State Beach come into this game looking to build on their 81-78 win over Pepperdine last time out to sit at 3-9 this season.
Beach Snap Three-Game Slide
Gavin Sykes leads the Beach in scoring with 17.6 PPG while Petar Majstorovic has 14.3 PPG and 6.3 RPG to lead the Beach in rebounding as the only other double-digit scorer for Long Beach State so far this season. Shaquil Bender has 9.5 PPG while Isaiah Lewis has a team-high 2.8 APG to lead Long Beach State in assists up to this point in the year. As a team, Long Beach State is averaging 73 PPG on 44% shooting from the field, 32.3% from three and 70.7% from the foul line so far this season.
Iowa State Cyclones Recap
The Iowa State Cyclones come into this game looking to add on to their 78-53 win over Eastern Illinois last time out to improve to 11-0 this season. After this game, Iowa State will take on Houston Christian at home.
Cyclones Looking To Remain Unbeaten
Joshua Jefferson leads the Cyclones with 18.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 5 APG while Milan Momcilovic has 17.5 PPG with 3 RPG and Tamin Lipsey has 16.4 PPG with 3.4 RPG and 5.4 APG along with 2.9 SPG. Killyan Toure has 11.5 PPG with 2.2 SPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Iowa State so far this season. Dominick Nelson has 6.6 PPG and Blake Buchanan has 8.6 PPG with 5.7 RPG as well this season. As a team, Iowa State is averaging 91.7 PPG on 53.8% shooting from the field, 43.1% from three and 69.9% from the foul line this season.
Long Beach State Beach @ Iowa State Cyclones Betting Trends: December 21, 2025
Why the Iowa State Cyclones will win
Iowa State has won each of its last 40 games against non-Conference opponents at James H. Hilton Coliseum.
Long Beach State has lost each of its last 32 games against AP-ranked opponents.
Iowa State has won the first half in each of its last 19 day games against non-Conference opponents at James H. Hilton Coliseum.
Why the Long Beach State Beach will win
Iowa State has lost the first half in four of its last five games as a top-5 AP-ranked team.
Total Points Facts
Eight of Long Beach State’s last nine games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 150+ points.
Five of Iowa State’s last six day games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 138 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
Iowa State ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for net rating this season (+38.6).
Iowa State ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for point differential per game this season (+27.2).
Long Beach State ranks 3rd among Division 1 teams for opponent blocks per game this season (1.9).
Long Beach State ranks 359th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage this season (77.9%).
Long Beach State Beach vs. Iowa State Cyclones Prediction
I’m on Iowa State here. It’s a massive number, but all Iowa State has done this season at home is drill these inferior teams and I think that this game is honestly no different. Long Beach State has a hard enough time competing against teams on their own level let alone a top-tier national contender like Iowa State. This is just a smashing from the Cyclones here. Lay it with Iowa State in a rout.
