Iowa State Cyclones vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, 12/30/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa State Cyclones vs Colorado Buffaloes

Date: Monday, December 30, 2024

Location: CU Events Center in Boulder, CO

TV: CBSSN

The Colorado Buffaloes (9-2) will try to beat the Iowa State Cyclones (10-1) at CU Events Center on Monday.

The Iowa State Cyclones played Morgan State and took home the win by a score of 99-72 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Cyclones ended up finishing with 13 while Morgan State totaled 15 personal fouls. They converted 4 out of their 9 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Morgan State finished the game at 66.7% from the free throw line by making 10 of their 15 tries. On top of that, Morgan State had 25 boards (9 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Morgan State earned 12 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. In relation to defense, Iowa State let their opponent shoot 46.0% from the field on 29 of 63 shooting. They also recorded 26 dimes for the contest while creating 13 turnovers and earning 11 steals. When talking about rebounding, they earned 34 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Cyclones converted 20 of 26 attempts for a rate of 76.9%. Iowa State walked away from the contest with a 61.0% field goal percentage (36 out of 59) and buried 7 out of their 20 shots from 3-point land.

Tamin Lipsey is one player who came through in this matchup. He accounted for 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting. He played 28 mins but did not grab any rebounds. He ended up going 88.9% from the field and earned 5 assists.

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Iowa State enters this game with a record of 10-1 this year. They are averaging 88.5 pts per contest (5th in Division 1) while connecting on 51.3% from the floor. The Cyclones are shooting 35.1% on 3-pointers (85 of 242) and 75.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Iowa State is pulling in 36.5 boards per game and has tallied 200 assists for the year, which ranks 82nd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 9.5 times per game and as a team they are committing 14.5 fouls per game.

On defense, the Cyclones have forced 16.0 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.5 fouls. They are giving up 32.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 48th in college hoops in PPG allowed (65.5). The Cyclones defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.3% (259 of 627) and they concede 30.1 rebounds per contest as a unit. They currently rank 79th in the country in giving up assists with 140 conceded on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Colorado Buffaloes took home the win by a final score of 79-55 when they faced Bellarmine. The Buffaloes were able to collect 25 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 34 for this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 15 steals in the matchup. Bellarmine was called for 19 fouls in the game which got the Buffaloes to the free throw line for 19 tries. They were able to bury 15 of those for a percentage of 78.9%. In terms of shots from beyond the arc, Colorado converted 6 of 24 attempts (25.0%). In all, the Buffaloes ended up going 29 for 62 from the field which had them shooting 46.8%. The Buffaloes allowed Bellarmine to convert 21 of 53 tries from the field which had them shooting 39.6% in this matchup. They shot 26.9% from downtown by shooting 7 of 26 and ended up going 6 of 9 from the free throw line (66.7%). When talking about cleaning the glass, Colorado permitted Bellarmine to get 28 in all (4 offensive).

Assane Diop ended up having an impact for the Buffaloes for the game. He knocked down 7 out of 11 for the contest for a rate of 63.6%, and had 1 rebound. He earned 15 points in his 17 mins on the court, but didn't get an assist.

Colorado has a record of 9-2 so far this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Buffaloes are connecting on 47.2% from the floor, which ranks 89th in the country. Colorado has tallied 844 points for the year (76.7 per game) and they average 37.3 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 17.0 times per contest (41st in college) and they turn the ball over 14.2 times per contest. The Buffaloes have committed 14.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 76.5% from the charity stripe.

The Colorado defense allows 30.9% from downtown (82 of 265) and their opposition knocks down 73.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 12.2 dimes and 31.8 rebounds per game, ranking them 120th and 63rd in D-1. The Buffaloes on defense are ranked 107th in the country in PPG surrendered with 68.4. They are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.3% from the field (99th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Colorado

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