Iowa St. vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction & Picks - NCAA Basketball
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by Matt Lowrimore | in NCAA Basketball Picks
This second round NCAA tournament game will see the #7-seeded Kentucky Wildcats (22-13) take on the #2-seeded Iowa State Cyclones (28-7) in the Midwest Region. Let’s take a look at the match statistics and predictions for this game between the Wildcats and the Cyclones.
To say Kentucky survived their first-round game would be an understatement as they defeated the Santa Clara Broncos in overtime on Friday by a score of 89-84. It was the heroics of Otega Oweh, who scored 35 points, that fueled Kentucky to a win; however, they will need to be much sharper if they are going to get past Iowa State. The Wildcats have now won just three of their six games, showing they have been inconsistent for most of the season.
Iowa State, on the other hand, cruised to a win in their first-round game, beating the Tennessee State Tigers by a score of 108-74. With the win, the Cyclones have gone 4-2 in their last six games. The bad news for Iowa State is their star, Joshua Jefferson, left their first-round game with an injury, and it is unknown if he will be available for this game against Kentucky.
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Iowa St. vs Kentucky Wildcats Form
Iowa St. and Kentucky Wildcats Latest Matches
3/5 (60%)
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Iowa St. - Kentucky Wildcats Key Points
- Kentucky is 3-3 SU in March
- Kentucky is 3-3 ATS in March
- Iowa State is 4-2 SU in March
- Iowa State is 5-1 ATS in March
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Our Iowa St. vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction
Even with the injury to Jefferson, Iowa State is the favorite in this matchup and still looks to be the best betting option. Including Jefferson, the Cyclones have three players averaging in double figures this season, led by Milan Momcilovic, who averages 17.1 points per game.
As for Kentucky, other than Oweh, who averages 18.7 points per game, they have just one other player averaging in double figures.
On top of that, Iowa State is a much better defensive team, allowing 65.4 points per game, compared to Kentucky, which allows 74.1 points per game. Iowa State has simply been more consistent this season and has more reliable scoring options; therefore, our Kentucky Wildcats vs Iowa State Cyclones prediction is: Iowa State Cyclones ML.All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
