Cyclone Alert: Iowa State on Roll

Iowa State has certainly been one of the surprise teams not only in the Big 12 but in the country.

The Cyclones were ranked eighth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll before a loss to No. 1 Baylor dropped Iowa State to No. 11. Iowa State showed some moxie in that game, cutting into the Baylor lead late in the game before falling by five points.

Iowa State is ninth in the country in scoring defense and the Cyclones will look for another impressive defensive showing against an undermanned Texas Tech squad.

Eight of Texas Tech’s wins have come at home so this will be a challenging assignment.

Iowa State (+12500) was tied with Kansas State for the longest odds to win the Big 12 title so it bears watching to see if the Cyclones’ impressive run of success in the non-conference part of the schedule translates into a strong finish in the Big 12. The odds for Iowa State are currently at +1300, but that is still fifth behind Kansas, Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech.

Game: Texas Tech (10-2) at Iowa State (12-1)
Location: James H. Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
Day/Time: Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN

Texas Tech vs Iowa State Betting Lines

Texas Tech Red Raiders at Iowa State Cyclones

Shorthanded Visitors hit Challenging Stretch

Games against nationally ranked Iowa State and Kansas would be challenging for the Texas Tech Red Raiders under any circumstances, but the degree of difficulty has certainly gone up with the news that leading scorer Terrence Shannon and starting guard Mylik Wilson will miss the game against Iowa State.

Texas Tech will be without Terrence Shannon Jr & Mylik Wilson for their conference opener at Iowa State, per Mark Adams. Big development for Texas Tech as most believed Shannon Jr would be ready for this game. He’s been dealing with back spasm issues.

— Austin Massey (@austin_massey_) January 3, 2022

Shannon has missed six of the Red Raiders’ first 12 games due to back issues and he hasn’t played since being limited to 16 minutes against Arkansas State on Dec. 14. Shannon scored in double figures in each of the first five games, including a season-high 18 points against Omaha and Tennessee. He provides scoring both from the perimeter and in the lane.

Wilson started five of the eight games he has played in and has 26 assists with only seven turnovers, but his absence takes another playmaking guard out of the Texas Tech rotation. In his last game, Wilson played just five minutes against Tennessee on Dec. 7. Wilson also is third on the team with 15 steals so he will be missed on the defensive end.

After losing to Gonzaga without Shannon and Wilson, Texas Tech topped Eastern Washington and Alabama State, but facing Iowa State and Kansas potentially without two starters is a rather tall task.

Texas Tech has won the last five games against Iowa State.

The Red Raiders are 6-1 this season when the game goes under the total set by the college basketball odds.

Hunter More Than a Playmaker for Cyclones

Other freshman guards might have come into the season with more hype, but Iowa State’s Tyrese Hunter is certainly producing for the Iowa State Cyclones.

Hunter wasted little time in making an impact as he had 50 points and 14 assists in the first three games of the season. While his offense has come and gone at times, his playmaking ability is a major reason why Iowa State won its first 12 games before losing its conference opener to defending national champion Baylor.

Hunter only has more turnovers than assists in one game and he has eight games with at least five assists. Hunter also has six games with at least two steals.

Hunter failed to score in double figures in six of the previous seven games, but showed signs of breaking out of his shooting slump as he had 12 points in the loss to Baylor.

Hunter’s ability to score takes some of the pressure of Izaiah Brockington and Gabe Kalscheur and will be key as Iowa State navigates its way through the challenging Big 12 schedule.

Eight of the last 12 Iowa State games have finished under the total set by the Las Vegas odds.

Aggressive Red Raiders Look to Rebound

It wouldn’t really be out of line to suggest that missed shots could play a key role for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

They averaged 17 offensive rebounds during a 6-0 start but as the competition got tougher, offensive rebounds became harder to come by. The Red Raiders were held under 10 offensive rebounds in each of the last four games, so going after missed shots will be crucial as they face one of the nation’s best defensive teams.

Texas Tech has won just three of the last 10 road games against Iowa State.

Iowa State has covered in five of the last six games.

An interesting tidbit for those who bet online, the team that won straight up also covered in the last 11 meetings between the Red Raiders and Cowboys.

The last three times Iowa State was the home team in the series, the game went over the total.

A healthy Texas Tech team would normally be the pick in this one, but missing two key pieces on the road against a nationally ranked team makes it hard to put money on the Red Raiders. The line has jumped from +1 to +2½ and then back to +4, which is an indication that the missing Texas Tech players are resulting in money going down on the host Cyclones.

This shouldn’t be an offensive showcase but still should go over the 127-point total.

Pick: Over 127