Iowa State Cyclones vs BYU Cougars Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa State Cyclones vs BYU Cougars

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Marriott Center in Provo, UT

TV: ESPN

The Iowa State Cyclones (23-3) are on their way to Marriott Center on Saturday where they will go up against the BYU Cougars (19-7).

The Iowa State Cyclones played Houston and earned the victory with a final of 70-67 in their last game. Iowa State wrapped up the game with a 49.0% field goal percentage (25 out of 51) and converted 9 of their 22 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Cyclones converted 11 of 22 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. Concerning pulling down rebounds, they collected 30 with 8 of them being offensive. They also distributed 15 assists in this contest in addition to creating 5 turnovers and having 5 steals. Pertaining to the defense, Iowa State allowed their opponent to shoot 42.1% from the floor on 24 of 57 shooting. Houston totaled 14 assists and had 2 steals for the matchup. Furthermore, Houston pulled down 33 boards (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Houston finished shooting 63.6% at the charity stripe by burying 7 of 11 attempts. They made 12 of 34 shots from long range. Concerning fouls, the Cyclones left the arena with 14 and Houston finished the game with 21 fouls.

Joshua Jefferson is a guy who had an impact in this matchup. He scored 12 points on 4 out of 10 shooting. He played 33 minutes and grabbed 6 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 40.0% from the field and also earned 5 assists.

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Iowa State heads into this one with a win-loss record of 23-3 on the year. They average 83.7 pts per game (37th in college hoops) while going 50.5% from the floor. The Cyclones are connecting on 39.8% on shots from distance (235 of 590) and 66.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Iowa State is collecting 36.4 boards per game and has accounted for 470 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 23rd in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 10.5 times per game and as a team they commit 15.6 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Cyclones are forcing 15.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.9 personal fouls. They are ranked 89th in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 327 conceded this year. The Cyclones defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.6% (605 of 1,453) and they relinquish 30.3 boards per game as a group. They give up 31.9% on three-point shots and they are ranked 11th in college hoops in PPG allowed (64.6).

The last time they took the court, the BYU Cougars took a loss by a final score of 75-68 when they faced Arizona. In the matter of team rebounding, BYU allowed Arizona to get 35 in total (9 on the offensive side). They went 42.9% from 3-point land via 9 of 21 and finished the game at 8 out of 12 at the charity stripe (66.7%). The Cougars allowed Arizona to convert 29 out of 64 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.3% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Cougars finished shooting 25 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.1%. With regard to three-point shots, BYU knocked down 5 out of 19 tries (26.3%). They were able to make 13 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 81.3%. Arizona was called for 12 personal fouls for this game which got the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 16 attempts. They turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 4 steals for the contest. The Cougars snagged 22 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 29 for this game.

AJ Dybantsa was important for the Cougars in the game. He scored 35 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 assists in this game. He converted 13 out of 28 in the game for a rate of 46.4%, and had 7 rebounds.

BYU has a mark of 19-7 this season. As an offensive unit, the Cougars are hitting on 48.3% from the field, which ranks them 37th in Division 1. BYU has scored 2,230 pts on the season (85.8 per contest) and they collect 39.2 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 14.4 times per game (151st in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per contest. The Cougars commit 15.7 fouls every game and they shoot 74.4% from the free throw line.

The BYU defense concedes 33.3% on 3-pointers (209 of 627) and opponents are connecting on 70.5% of their foul shots. They surrender 14.5 assists and 34.2 rebounds per contest, ranking them 272nd and 168th in college hoops. The Cougars defensively are ranked 209th in the country in points given up per game with 74.5. They have forced 11.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the floor (142nd in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Iowa State

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