Iowa State @ Oklahoma State preview

Iowa State at Oklahoma State

Last Meeting ( Jan 21, 2020 ) Oklahoma State 82, Iowa State 89

Two of the Big 12’s bottom dwellers meet Saturday as Oklahoma State plays host to Iowa State. The Cyclones are eighth in the 10-team conference with a 5-10 record – a game ahead of the ninth-place Cowboys (4-11) with three games remaining in the regular season.

Iowa State is coming to Stillwater off a win, beating visiting TCU 65-59 on Tuesday night, and is seeking to put together its first win streak since early December. Forward Solomon Young and freshman guard Tre Jackson combined to score 38 of the Cyclones’ 65 points in Tuesday’s victory. However, the win was only the program’s third in 10 games since beating visiting Oklahoma State 89-82 on Jan. 21. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have won three of their last five but are coming off an 83-58 road beatdown at the hands of top-ranked Kansas on Monday night.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT IOWA STATE (12-16, 5-10 Big 12): Young’s 20 points on Tuesday matched his second-highest total of the season, with his top effort (27 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 13-of-15 free throws) coming in the win over Oklahoma State. Jackson’s 18 points, meanwhile, were a career high, and he gave a lot of credit to being able to play for the first time in a month without wearing a protective mask after breaking his nose. With leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton (15.2 points, Big 12-best 6.5 assists per game) still sidelined with a broken wrist, guard Rasir Bolton (14.4 points) is the only active player averaging double figures for the Cyclones, who are struggling defensively, allowing a conference-most 73.8 points and 46.4 opponent shooting percentage in Big 12 play.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (14-14, 4-11): Forward Cameron McGriff had a team-high 16 points against Kansas on Monday, but there was little chance the Cowboys were going to keep pace in Allen Fieldhouse shooting 38.5 percent from the field and logging 13 turnovers to only eight assists. McGriff is averaging a team-most 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds on the season while guards Lindy Waters III (10.8 points) and Isaac Likekele (10.8) also are averaging double digits. Oklahoma State, though, is ahead of only Iowa State in Big 12 scoring defense, allowing 70.5 points per contest, and owns the conference’s worst scoring differential at minus-8.4 points in Big 12 play.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Iowa State has dominated the series of late, winning 13 of the last 15, including four of the last five contests in Stillwater.

2. Young, Bolton and Haliburton combined to score 68 of the Cyclones’ 89 points in the meeting earlier this season, offsetting six double-figure scorers for Oklahoma State, led by Waters and reserve G Thomas Dziagwa, who had 14 points apiece.

3. Iowa State is still looking for its first true road win of the season, going 0-9 so far, including a 0-7 mark in Big 12 play. The Cowboys are 8-6 at home, including 3-4 in conference action.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 74, Iowa State 72