Iowa State comes into Lubbock with a three-game winning streak and as winners of four of its last five contests—a stretch that began with a huge 92-89 victory over No. 3 Kansas.
Senior guard Monte Morris continues to pace the offense for the Cyclones, who have scored at least 80 points and have won by no less than eight points in their current three-game run. He’s averaging a team-leading 16.0 points and 11.0 assists per outing this season, including an 18-point, 11-assist performance in Saturday’s win over TCU.
Morris is supported by fellow fourth-year guards in Nazareth Mitrou-Long (15.9), Deonte Burton (14.3) and Matt Thomas (11.6) with double-digit scoring averages.
Long had the best game of his life against the Horned Frogs, during which he put up a career-high 25 points and went 7-of-12 from three-point territory. He and Morris were lethal in the first meeting with Texas Tech on Dec. 30, combining for 33 points to carry Iowa State to the eventual 63-56 victory.
The Cyclones are 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in the last 10 meetings of this series.
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (17-10, 5-9 Big 12)
Saturday’s double-overtime loss at West Virginia dropped Texas Tech to 2-4 in its last six games, 1-3 in its previous four and 1-7 on the road. This losing slide should stop, though, as the Red Raiders are set to play Iowa State at their home turf, where they are 15-2 this season.
Keenan Evans leads the team in scoring with 15.7 points and a 46.9 shooting percentage from down town. He also equaled his career-high of 28 points in the loss to the Mountaineers, extending his 20-point streak to four games. That personal run should continue against an Iowa State defense that surrenders nearly 77 points on the road, including 71.3 in its past three contests.
Look to Zach Smith (13.0) and Anthony Livingston (10.6) to make a difference, too. They’re the only two players in Texas Tech, besides Evans, who are scoring in double figures this season.
The Red Raiders are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
