The Big 12 has great parity this season which makes Saturday’s Oklahoma State at Iowa State betting matchup a tough one to pin down. Make no mistake the Cyclones are very good at home, an undefeated 12-0 in fact, but they’ve also lost three of their last four overall.
OSU is a +5.5 road underdog in Ames, but the Cowboys have also won four in a row and six of their last seven. That stretch for Oklahoma State includes a 61-59 win over Iowa State on January 21st when they were down 16 at one point. A little over half the betting public likes the Cyclones to cover the -5.5 here.
Why Oklahoma State Can Cover +5.5 Points
The Cowboys lost a key component in Avery Anderson III on February 1st and he’s going to be out indefinitely with a wrist injury. That hurts for sure, but at the same time Oklahoma State has also won consecutive games since his injury, topping #17 TCU 79-73 and then beating Texas Tech 71-68. The Red Raiders are 1-10 in conference play – but that lone win came against these Cyclones.
OSU has averaged 75 ppg in the two contests since losing Anderson III and his 11.1 ppg, but Bryce Thompson stepped up with 21 to lead the win over Texas Tech. Thompson only had 4 points last Saturday against TCU, but the Cowboys’ depth was on display as Kalib Boone had 25, Caleb Asberry 19, and John Michael Wright 17.
Oklahoma State does have a tough task being the first team to beat Iowa State at the Hilton Coliseum this season, but they dominated in Ames last season with a 53-36 victory as +4.5 underdogs as the Cyclones shot 2-17 from three.
Why Iowa State Can Cover -5.5 Points
The Cyclones giving -5.5 points looks like a ton considering they’ve lost three of their last four games, but each of those defeats was also on the road. The last time Iowa State played at home they throttled #8 Kansas 68-53 as just a -1 point home favorite.
ISU is not just undefeated at home this season, they’ve covered the number in four of their last five on their own court. The home crowd was at their best when the Jayhawks visited last weekend as Iowa State ran out to a 33-21 halftime lead and never looked back.
Oklahoma State has had 3-4 players step up in the two games since the Senior Anderson III got injured, but the wins over Texas Tech and TCU both came at home in Stillwater. Not only that, Anderson III’s 18 points was the high for Oklahoma State when they barely beat the Cyclones earlier this season.
Free OSU at ISU Betting Pick
This is a tough one, but you have to think Iowa State is ready to get back on track returning home after losing three of their last four games.
OSU is about to find out how much they miss the experience of the Sr. Anderson III, playing their first road game since his injury in a very hostile environment where the Cyclones have not lost yet this season.
Free Pick: Iowa State -5.5
