The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners are a step closer towards the top spot of the AP poll thanks to their win over No. 11 West Virginia on Saturday. The Sooners are likely to get that lofty status in the rankings this week, and they can go on to justify that rank if they take care of the No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones, who are coming off a skid-breaking win in Manhattan, Kansas over the Kansas State Wildcats.
Read on for more about this big-tim Big 12 game. You can also check out our preview of tonight’s NBA game between the Warriors and the Cavaliers.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Oklahoma Sooners vs. Iowa State Cyclones Preview
Where: James H. Hilton Coliseum, Ames
When: Monday, January 18, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma Sooners (+2) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (-2) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (15-1, 4-1 Big 12)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Now is not the time for the Sooners to falter—not with the top spot of the AP poll within their reach after defeating West Virginia on Saturday, 70-68. Up ahead for Oklahoma is another test against a ranked opponent in the form of the Cyclones, whom the Sooners already beat on January 2 at home, 87-83.
The Sooners engaged ISU in a shootout in the first meeting, as they hit 11 on their 29 attempts from beyond the arc. Overall, the Sooners shot 32-for-75 (42 percent) from the field. Buddy Hield led the team with 22 points, though he shot just 8-for-23. That not a reason for him to stop shooting, however, as he remains one of the most potent offensive weapon in all of college basketball.
So far this season, Hield is averaging 26.0 points per game on an impressive 52.1 field goal percentage. Overall, the Sooners are fourth in the nation with 86.3 points per game.
The Sooners are also hoping to get another strong supporting performance from Ryan Spangler, who recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds against ISU in the previous matchup.
The Sooners are allowing 70.9 points per game, but obviously didn’t do a good defensive job against ISU. Khadeem Lattin is going to be an imposing presence on defense, though, as the 6-9 sophomore has been swatting shots at an astounding rate. Lattin has 16 blocks over the last four games, including his six-block gem in the loss to Kansas on January 4.
Oklahoma is 4-2 ATS in its last six road games.
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Betting on the Iowa State Cyclones (13-4, 2-3 Big 12)
Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm is finding it hard to duplicate ISU’s success in the conference when it was still under Fred Hoiberg. Prohm, however, must be happy to see his boys improve on defense the last time out.
The Cyclones are worst in the Big 12 in scoring defense (74.3 points per game) and opponents’ field goal shooting (43 percent), but somehow found a way to stifle Kansas State’s offense on Saturday. The Cyclones held the Wildcats to only 37.7 FG% and played much better perimeter defense, as evidenced by Kansas State’s 4-for-21 shooting from deep.
Considering the amount of triples Oklahoma dropped on them in the first meeting, the Cyclones should now know better than to leave Hield and company unattended in the three-point region.
Iowa State can match Oklahoma on offense with the Cyclones putting up 85.2 PPG, good for ninth in the nation. Per KenPom.com, the Cyclones are third overall in adjusted offensive efficiency with 119.7 points per 100 possessions.
Senior Georges Niang outplayed Hield back in Norman with 29 points on 13-for-18 from the field, and is a definite threat to do so again in Ames. Niang averages a team-leading 19.6 PPG on the season, while grabbing 6.6 boards per contest.
Iowa State is 72-6 in Ames going back to February of 2011.
Writer’s Prediction
Iowa State (-2) wins, 84-81.
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