A huge Big 12 showdown will go down at the WVU Coliseum this Monday night, as the No. 13 Iowa State Cyclones seek revenge against the No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers, who defeated them earlier this month in Ames. Can the Cyclones succeed in giving their conference rivals a taste of their own medicine? Or will the Mountaineers win again?
Read on below for a comprehensive breakdown of this intriguing collision. And while you’re at it check out our preview of Virginia Cavaliers vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Preview
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown
When: Monday, February 22, 2016, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Iowa State Cyclones (+5) at West Virginia Mountaineers (-5)– view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Betting on the Iowa State Cyclones (19-8, 8-6 Big 12)
And speaking of which, the Cyclones will have the opportunity to do so when they pay the No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers a visit at the WVU Coliseum tonight.
Key to their triumph will greatly depend on how much points they put up especially against a West Virginia team that only allows 58.4 points at home. But the Cyclones won’t be fazed at all by this because they have more than enough weapons to lead their attack.
For one, there’s Niang, who’s been feasting on his opponents in the last three games. In that stretch, he’s managed to finish with 24 or more points and is shooting the ball at a spectacular rate of 63.8 percent. Niang also went 8-of-16 from the field for a total of 20 points during their previous meeting with the Mountaineers.
Other than Niang, there’s also the pair of Monte Morris and Nader to add more firepower to the Cyclones. Both are scoring almost 15 points a game this season. Morris, in particular, has been extremely unselfish and efficient with the basketball over his past six games, tallying 52 assists and just 10 turnovers in that span.
Iowa State is 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS in its previous eight road games.
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Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers (20-7, 9-5 Big 12)
Another game, another loss. The No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers couldn’t get back on track during Saturday afternoon’s date with No. 3 Oklahoma, as Buddy Hield torched them with a game-high 29 points to lead the Sooners to the 76-62 victory. But what’s done is done and the Mountaineers will now hope they can take care of business this time around when the 13th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones come to town.
The Mountaineers won’t have the momentum in this game; however, they can still take some confidence in the fact that they beat the Cyclones at their own floor earlier this month. In that game, West Virginia was led by Jaysean Paige, who scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds to give his team the thrilling come-from-behind victory. And needless to say, expect Paige to try to replicate this performance once again.
Paige, the senior guard, enters this bout having scored in double-figures in four of his last five contests, including a 17-point effort opposite Baylor on February 6. He should be able find a lot of opportunities versus a Cyclones defense that’s surrendering almost 80 points a game.
Of course, Devin Williams cannot be left unmentioned, as he’s having a terrific junior campaign thus far. He’s currently the Mountaineers’ second-leading scorer (13.3) and best rebounder (8.9). Williams also has a total of 12 double-doubles this season.
Defense, though, will arguably decide this game. The Mountaineers’ stout defense will be heavily tested by the Cyclones offense, which is racking up more than 80 points per game.
West Virginia is 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in its past 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Cyclones (+5) win it, 66-62.
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