Iowa State @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Texas 60, Iowa State 65

Few teams are as perplexing as Iowa State, whose resume includes wins over Kansas State, Texas Tech and Ole Miss along with losses to TCU and Arizona. The Cyclones continue their search for consistency Saturday against host Texas, which has lost two straight games and three of its last four.

After dropping out of the national rankings with back-to-back losses to Baylor and Kansas, the Cyclones reached 20 wins for the eighth time in nine years with last Monday’s 78-61 victory over Oklahoma. Senior guard Marial Shayok is averaging a team-high 18.6 points on 49.5 percent shooting for Iowa State, which is fifth in the Big 12 standings, two games ahead of sixth-place Texas. Coach Steve Prohm’s squad figures to be a dangerous team at the conference tournament, but he’d like to build some momentum in the final three regular-season games. “Let’s continue to get better and see what happens,” Prohm told reporters. “Right now, let’s have a lot of fun. Get better, because March is the best time of year. That’s why you’re here.”

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT IOWA STATE (20-8, 9-6 Big 12): Shayok bounced back from a rough outing against TCU with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win over Oklahoma while freshman Talen Horton-Tucker added 18 points and five assists. Prohm relies heavily on his four-guard lineup but has also received steady production from sophomore forward Cameron Lard, who is averaging 8.1 points and 1.4 blocks while shooting 78 percent from the field over the last nine games. Lard has averaged 14.5 points and nine rebounds in four career games against Texas.

ABOUT TEXAS (15-13, 7-8): The Longhorns led Baylor by 14 at the half last Wednesday but lost 84-83 in overtime despite a stellar outing from sophomore guard Jase Febres, who made seven of the team’s 15 3-pointers and tied a career high with 23 points. Freshman guard Courtney Ramey recorded his first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 10 assists while sophomore guard Matt Coleman III and freshman forward Kamaka Hepa had 11 points apiece. Coach Shaka Smart is using a seven-man rotation minus leading scorer Kerwin Roach II, who was suspended indefinitely last week for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

TIP-INS

1. Texas is 14-2 against Iowa State in Austin and owns a 22-17 lead in the all-time series.

2. Iowa State is 67-8 when leading at the half under Prohm.

3. The Longhorns’ eight Big 12 losses have come by a combined total of 30 points.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 84, Texas 78