Christian Royston, Sports Editor
Iowa State 67, Baylor 66
I think we are going to see a classic case of a hot team staying hot against a struggling team. Although Baylor was high ranked in recent weeks, the Bears have started to slide.
After a handful of losses to start Big 12 play, I am starting to think Baylor is not as good as we thought. In the past five games, zero have been convincing from Baylor. The Bears dropped three-straight matchups, falling to Kansas State and Texas on the road and dropping a triple-overtime game to TCU at home.
Cincinnati also played Baylor within three points at Waco, Texas, and UCF kept the most recent game close through nearly the entire matchup.
On the other side, Iowa State is on a three-game winning streak after taking down a Kansas State team that was just outside the rankings and No. 7 Kansas. The Cyclones also proved they can win on the road after taking down TCU.
I believe the Cyclones are going to defend their No. 12 ranking and prove themselves as one of the top teams in the Big 12 come Saturday.
Logan Shanks, Assistant Sports Editor
Iowa State 74, Baylor 68
Heading into this road matchup against the Bears, I feel like Iowa State’s signature defense will be the leading factor in the Cyclones picking up their second Big 12 road win of the season.
Baylor has lost three of its last four games, one of those losses coming at home. Although they have had one of the highest-scoring offenses in the conference, averaging over 76 points per game, the Bears also host one of the worst defenses in the Big 12. The last time they were at home, they went into triple overtime with TCU, and allowed over 100 points before pulling away in the final seconds.
Although Iowa State, much like other Big 12 teams, has benefited from playing at home recently, it also had an impressive outing when it defeated the Horned Frogs last time the team was away from Hilton. The Cyclones were also without Tamin Lipsey in that affair, and since his return, the sophomore guard has got his team looking like one of the most unstoppable teams in the conference.
Wins on the road in the Big 12 aren’t easy to come across, but with the way Baylor has been playing against some of the bottom-tier teams in the conference, I see Iowa State pulling away and extending its winning streak.
