Christian Royston, Sports Editor
No. 3 Houston 71, No. 10 Iowa State 55
I wish I could say that Iowa State has a chance in this game because a win would mean first place in the conference, but beating Houston at Houston seems impossible for any team this season.
Houston is on a similar tear at home as Iowa State is at Hilton. Both teams are undefeated and are playing their best basketball in their home environments. Given that factor, I see Iowa State falling prey to Houston’s dominance and dropping this game.
Don’t get me wrong, the Cyclones have proven themselves as a top-10 team, but Houston has also proven itself as a top-five team. Going into the season I thought that splitting with Houston would be a great outcome, and that is looking to be the case.
I see Houston’s defense getting the best of Iowa State and a slew of wide-open shots causing the Cougars to build a lead that is too big for the Cyclones to overcome.
No. 10 Iowa State 75, West Virginia 58
Similar to the Monday game, I am not going to overthink this. To put it bluntly, West Virginia is bad.
Pair the Mountaineers’ struggles with the impossibility of opposing teams leaving Hilton with a win, and this game should be a cakewalk for the Cyclones.
Although it is heating up to be a possible trap game, as you cannot sleep on any team in the Big 12, winning on the road in the Big 12 is tough for even the top teams. Given West Virginia’s efforts so far through conference play, the Cyclones should not struggle one bit.
West Virginia has zero road wins in Big 12 play and has lost by an average of nearly 20 points in its road matchups. Given that UCF blew out the Mountaineers and even Oklahoma State picked up a win when West Virginia was on the road, dropping this game would be the biggest upset loss in a long time for the Cyclones.
Logan Shanks, Assistant Sports Editor
No. 3 Houston 67, No. 10 Iowa State 63
While the Cyclones defended their home court in their first matchup with the Cougars, I don’t see a season sweep getting added to their belt.
As we have seen throughout the season, the Cyclones are a completely different team on the road compared to when they are at home. While their win against Cincinnati on Tuesday might be the start of changing that narrative, I believe that Iowa State is catching Houston at its best.
After a two-game losing streak at the beginning of Big 12 play, Houston has won eight of its last nine games, consistently displaying some of the best offense and defense in the conference. The Cougars’ veteran roster has scorers from top to bottom, with three players averaging over 12 points per game.
The stakes are pretty tough to beat for this one. With both teams sitting at 9-3 in the Big 12, the winner of this one will likely finish as the regular season champions, barring any upsets. I think Iowa State is up for the challenge and will keep it close, but the Cyclones will be outmatched overall by the experience of the Cougars.
No. 10 Iowa State 79, West Virginia 54
If what I believe will happen against Houston comes true, this is your classic bounce-back game for the Cyclones. Even if they pull off the upset on the road against the Cougars, this is an easy game to keep the ball rolling.
The point is, I don’t see a reality where Iowa State drops this game against the Mountaineers. In an environment where they have not lost this season against one of the worst teams in the conference, this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for the Cyclones.
West Virginia has been getting blown out as of late on the road, with its losses to TCU and Texas having an average margin of -26. The Mountaineers have also been one of the worst teams in keeping the ball out of harm’s way, as they have averaged 13.4 turnovers per game, which should have the Cyclones licking their chops.
All Iowa State needs to do is be itself in this one. The Mountaineers are limping through this season, and the Cyclones just need to stay focused as March approaches.
