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The Texas Longhorns are set to face the Iowa State Cyclones this weekend. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Texas Iowa State prediction, odds, and pick.
Texas is a fascinating team to watch for so many reasons. One of the big stories this week in the college basketball odds community is that Texas Tech and coach Mark Adams are a real force. Texas Tech just beat Kansas and Baylor in consecutive games. Adams was Chris Beard's main assistant coach at Texas Tech. The quality of the Red Raiders' defense right now is leading many people to think that Adams, not Beard, was the true reason Texas Tech made the 2019 NCAA Tournament national championship game against Virginia at the Final Four in Minneapolis. Many people will debate that, and many will give Beard due credit. Nevertheless, with Texas not fully hitting its stride this season, there is plenty of chatter about who really built Texas Tech — Beard or Adams?
Texas lost to Oklahoma State earlier this month and has continued to have games in which its offense bogs down. However, Texas — which has lost to Gonzaga and Seton Hall and has not secured as many high-profile wins as it hoped to this season — did bounce back with a strong peformance in a win over Oklahoma earlier this week. Did that game fully reset Texas' season, or was it merely one good performance which requires more good games in order for us to think that the Longhorns are truly headed in the right direction? It's very reasonable to think that the Oklahoma win was not indicative of a true turnaround. Winning at Iowa State would do wonders for national perceptions of Texas. Keep that in mind when you consider a Texas Iowa State pick.
Iowa State is one of the surprises of the college basketball season. Coach T.J. Otzelberger had Iowa State unbeaten heading into New Year's Day. The Cyclones lost to Baylor and have also lost to Oklahoma and Kansas, but the Big 12 is a ferocious conference. Iowa State is still overachieving this season and is still very much on track to make the NCAA Tournament, which greatly exceeds preseason expectations. Iowa State plays lockdown defense and has a few climb-on-my-back scorers who are asked to do a lot each game. It just might be enough to create one of the more special seasons in ISU hoops history.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Texas-Iowa State odds:
College Basketball odds: Texas-Iowa State Odds
Texas: -2 (-114)
Iowa State: +2 (-106)
Over: 121 (-106)
Under: 121 (-114)
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Why Texas Could Cover the Spread
The Iowa State offense can and will go through crippling droughts, at least one per game. If Texas, which is itself a drought-prone offensive team, can avoid a big dry spell in this game, the Longhorns should feel cautiously optimistic about their chances.
Why Iowa State Could Cover the Spread
The calculus is much the same for Iowa State: Don't get caught in a long shooting slump. Find ways to score. Get to the foul line. Make Texas suffer the big, long scoring drought. ISU gets two points in the betting line and is playing at home. The equation is there for the Cyclones, when you think about your Texas Iowa State prediction.
Final Texas-Iowa State Prediction & Pick
Iowa State was a 12-point underdog at Kansas and lost by only one point. There is still a sense the Cyclones aren't getting enough respect from Vegas. They should not only cover, but win outright.
Final Texas-Iowa State Pick: Iowa State +2
