Iowa State vs Colorado prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
12/30/2024 10:13 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Iowa State-Colorado prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Iowa State-Colorado.
There are lots of interesting conference games in college basketball on Monday, December 30. This is one of them. Iowa State has established itself as the top team in the Big 12 through the first eight weeks of the season. Iowa State has an identity under coach T.J. Otzelberger: tough defense, rugged rebounding, and extremely hard to beat if the offense is functioning well. The way to beat Iowa State under Otzelberger has typically been to smother the ISU offense and hope for a rockfight in which the Cyclones can’t score. If ISU does score, the Cyclones generally do not lose. ISU is very much in the hunt for a No. 1 seed, having a 10-1 record with the only loss being to Auburn, another team in the running for a top seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Iowa State has a high-end win over Marquette, a really solid win over Dayton, and — interestingly enough — a 28-point win over the team it faces on Monday night in Boulder: the Colorado Buffaloes.
As we just said, good luck beating Iowa State when its offense is on fire. The Cyclones blew out Colorado by hitting 60 percent of their field goal attempts, 44 percent of their 3-pointers (11 of 25), and 18 of 23 foul shots. Everything about the ISU offense worked. The Cyclones committed only 10 turnovers and scored from every part of the floor. Milan Momcilovic hit 6 of 9 threes for 24 points. All five starters for Iowa State scored in double figures. Curtis Jones came off the bench to score 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. It was a dazzling display at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii for the Cyclones, who now go to Colorado’s home floor for a game which will count in the conference standings (unlike the Maui game).
Colorado will want to avenge the loss in Hawaii. The Buffaloes can be really good, as they showed when they defeated defending national champion UConn. Colorado is likely to find some adjustments and not get crushed in this game, but Iowa State still holds the upper hand. How will this Big 12 battle play out?
Here are the Iowa State-Colorado College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Iowa State-Colorado Odds
Iowa State: -10.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -520
Colorado: +10.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +385
Over: 147.5 (-110)
Under: 147.5 (-110)
How to Watch Iowa State vs Colorado
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Iowa State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Iowa State beat Colorado by 28 points in Hawaii. ISU can win by 17 fewer points — 11 — and still cover the spread. Iowa State can win by 10 fewer points — 18 — and comfortably cover the spread. ISU has a lot of margin here. Colorado is probably going to be better than it was in Hawaii, but will it be better by a large enough margin to cover? That’s an entirely different question, and one which will be hard for CU to answer.
Why Colorado Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Buffs will make the substantial improvements needed to cover. Are you not convinced? Let’s share a story from the NBA this past weekend. The Indiana Pacers lost by over 30 points to the Boston Celtics on Friday night. They played at Boston again on Sunday and won by nine, a turnaround of almost 40 points from one game to the next. It will be hard for Iowa State to score 99 points and replicate the offensive efficiency it established in the first meeting. Conference road games are hard. Colorado will take this one down to the wire.
Final Iowa State-Colorado Prediction & Pick
Colorado will play a close game. Iowa State won’t be able to easily solve Colorado’s defense the way it did in the first meeting. Take CU.
Final Iowa State-Colorado Prediction & Pick: Colorado +10.5
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