The college basketball betting board for Friday is headlined by a regional rivalry game between the Iowa State Cyclones and Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Hawkeyes enter as the No. 3 team in the nation, according to the latest AP Top 25 Poll, and are massive 14-point home favorites against the Cyclones.
We break down the college basketball odds with our best picks and predictions for Iowa State vs. Iowa on Friday, December 11, with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET
Iowa State Cyclones at Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview
Key Injuries
Iowa State: Tre Jackson G (Out), Blake Hinson G (Out)
Iowa: None
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Hawkeyes are 17-4-2 ATS in their last 23 home games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Iowa vs. Iowa State.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
Iowa State finished last season with a 12-20 record and was absolutely brutal on the road, where it went 0-11 SU and 2-9 ATS. The Cyclones might be even worse this year after they lost their best player, Tyrese Haliburton, to the NBA while two other starters also graduated.
Iowa State opened the season with an easy win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff but then lost 71-68 at home against South Dakota State in its second game. That's bad news as the Cyclones head on the road to face an unbeaten Hawkeyes team fresh off a comfortable 93-80 victory over ranked North Carolina.
Iowa finished last year with a 20-11 record and was dominant at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, going 14-2 SU and 11-3-2 ATS. The Hawkeyes returned every starter from that team, including a Wooden Award favorite in center Luka Garza. When we say every returning starter we mean it: it's not just the five guys who started at the end of the season but also big man Jack Nunge and point guard Jordan Bohannon, who suffered season-ending injuries early in their campaign are also back in the fold and healthy.
The Hawkeyes ranked among the Top-20 schools in the country with 77.7 points per game against FBS schools last season and are off to an even better start this year with 98 ppg. Don't expect Iowa State to be able to hang with the high-scoring Hawkeyes in this one.
PREDICTION: Iowa -13.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The Over/Under is a huge number but if any team can take it down, Iowa might be the one. The Hawkeyes averaged 80.8 ppg at home last season and they look even more deadly this year.
That said, they had some defensive hiccups a year ago as well, finishing 241st in the nation in scoring defense by surrendering 72.3 ppg and the Cyclones have shot the ball well inside. Iowa State is currently ranked eighth in the nation with a sizzling 63.4 field goal percentage inside the arc.
The trends also point towards the Over with the Hawkeyes going above the total in each of the past six games and the Cyclones going 8-1 to the Over in their previous nine contests against teams with a winning record.
With the Over 8-2 in the last ten meetings between these state rivals, back it again on Friday.
PREDICTION: Over 158 (-110)
Iowa State vs Iowa Betting Card
- Iowa -13.5 (-110)
- Over 158 (-110)
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Where Can I Bet on College Basketball?
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