The Baylor Bears (8-3) travel to face off against the Iowa State Cyclones (11-1) on Saturday, January 4th. This game will be played at Hilton Coliseum in Ames and televised on CBS. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 2:00 ET.

Baylor Bears vs Iowa State Cyclones

The Bears Are Coming Off A Win

Baylor Bears Recent Game/Games

The Bears improved to 8-3 on the season with an 81-56 win over Utah on Tuesday. Baylor, who were -11.5 favorites, covered the spread comfortably. The total points for the game were 137, falling short of the 152.5 O/U line.

Baylor took control early, leading 37-17 at halftime. While they scored 44 points in the 2nd half, they allowed 39 points, a sign they may need to tighten up defensively moving forward.

The Cyclones Are Coming Off A Win

The Cyclones improved to 11-1 this season with a 79-69 win over Colorado on Monday. Iowa State was favored by nine points going into the game and covered the spread with the victory.

Leading 37-31 at halftime, the Cyclones scored 42 points in the second half while allowing 38. The total points for the game were 148, just over the 146.5-point line.

Bears Offense Breakdown

Baylor put up 81 points in their last game, shooting 40.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 46.4%. They struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 28.1% on 9-of-32 shooting, but were strong from the free-throw line, connecting on 16-of-18 attempts for 88.9%.

VJ Edgecombe led the way with 19 points, shooting 60% overall and 50% from three. Norchad Omier and Robert O. Wright III each added 15 points, with Omier grabbing 14 rebounds. Hunter Erickson also contributed 13 points, hitting 3-of-4 from deep.

Cyclones Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, Iowa State put up 79 points, shooting 42.6% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 45.6%, with struggles from beyond the arc, hitting just 4 of 18 threes (22.2%). Inside the arc, they connected on 50% of their two-point attempts, going 25 for 50.

Julian Hammond III led the Cyclones with 21 points and 4 assists, shooting 9 of 17 overall and 3 of 7 from three. Curtis Jones added 20 points, despite shooting 5 of 16 from the field and 2 of 7 from deep. Iowa State also grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and finished 17 of 22 from the free-throw line (77.3%).

Bears Team Defense

Despite giving up 56 points, Baylor’s defense held their opponent to 40% shooting from the field, with 28 made baskets on 69 attempts. Inside the arc, Baylor allowed 19 two-point field goals on 37 attempts, a 51% shooting rate.

From three-point range, Baylor’s defense limited their opponent to 9 made threes on 32 attempts, a 28% shooting percentage. The Bears also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 18 times, where they converted 16 of their attempts, shooting 88%.

Cyclones Team Defense

Even with Baylor sending their opponent to the line 18 times, the Bears managed to hold them to just 56 points. Baylor’s defense allowed a 40% shooting performance, with their opponent hitting 28 of 69 shots.

From beyond the arc, Baylor’s defense limited their opponent to 9 of 32 shooting, or 28%. The Bears also gave up 14 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bears vs Cyclones Trends

• Across the Bears last ten road games, the team averaged 71 points per game while allowing 78. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 3-7, while going 3-7 straight-up.
• In their last ten games at home, the Cyclones have a straight up record of 7-3 while going 7-2-1 vs. the spread. The team averaged 72 points per game in this stretch.
• In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Bears have a straight up record of 1-9 and an ATS mark of 3-7.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Cyclones have a strong straight up record of 5-0. In addition, their ATS record was 3-2 in these scenarios.

Bears vs Cyclones Prediction

For a point-spread wager in this Cyclones vs. Cyclones game, we suggest taking the Cyclones at -8.5. Even though our predictions have the Cyclones winning 76-70, we see the Bears as the better choice on the point-spread.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 152.5 and our model has the Bears and Cyclones finishing with a combined 146 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.