Washington State vs. Iowa State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for NCAA Tournament Second Round

Washington State rallied from down eight in the final seven minutes to beat Drake and advance to the second round to face Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Iowa State cruised past South Dakota State into the second round, but did suffer some injuries as star guard Tamin Lipsey suffered a shoulder injury and Hason Ward hurt his ankle. While both are expected to play, questions are starting to munt for the No. 2 seed Cyclones as the team matches up with the No. 7 seed in the East Region. 

How should we bet this Round of 32 matchup with the lowest total on the Saturday slate? 

Here’s how I see it: 

Washington State vs. Iowa State Odds, Spread and Total

Iowa State vs. Washington State Betting Trends

• Iowa State is 24-10 against the spread (ATS) this season
• Washington State is 17-15-1 ATS this season
• Washington State is 6-3-1 ATS as an underdog this season
  

Washington State vs. Iowa State How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, March 23
• Game Time: 6:10 PM EST
• Venue: CHI Health Center Omaha
• How to Watch (TV): TNT
• Washington State Record: 24-9
• Iowa State Record: 27-7

Washington State vs. Iowa State Key Players to Watch

Washington State

Isaac Jones: Jones carried the Cougars to the finish line on Thursday night, scoring 20 points with 11 rebounds and three assists in the come from behind effort. Jones is going to need to help be an outlet for the Washington State backcourt against this elite Iowa State defense and also impactful on the glass.

Iowa State

Tamin Lipsey: Lipsey missed a game earlier this season with a shoulder injury, which he re-aggravated late in the blowout win against South Dakota State, but he was fantastic for the entirety of that one, scoring 17 points and dishing out seven assists. In a battle of stud guards with Washington State’s Myles Rice, can Lipsey get ISU to the second weekend of the ‘Big Dance?’

Washington State vs. Iowa State Prediction and Pick

This game is set to be a defensive-minded affair, and I struggle to see Washington State’s offense navigating Iowa State’s turnover-minded defense. 

Playing in the PAC-12, Washington State is not familiar with the aggressive nature of the Cyclones defense that is common in the Big 12. In the PAC-12, only two teams are inside the top 100 in turnover rate on defense, which is a far cry from Iowa State’s defense that is second in that metric. 

It’s worth noting that the Cougars played three times against those two teams, USC (twice) and Arizona State. Washington State went 2-1, but won both USC games by single digits and went above its season long average in turnover rate. 

Iowa State’s trapping defensive scheme doesn’t allow anything inside and will turn the Cougars into jump shooters, which isn’t what the Cougars want to do on offense, outside the top 300 in 3-point rate.

I believe this culture shock for the Cougars defense, that struggled with Drake’s somewhat aggressive defense (13 turnovers against Drakes 140th ranked turnover percentage defense), can lead to a poor offensive output. 

I’m not sure if ISU can get separation to cover this spread given the total is so low, but the defense should do enough to keep Wazzu under its team total. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!