[9:00 PM] Cincinnati @ #19 Iowa State

Who will WIN this matchup?

Cincinnati Bearcats (5-1)

@ #19 Iowa State Cyclones (5-1)

 

• Coming off its first loss of the season, No. 21 Iowa State looks to get back on the winning track when it returns home to face Cincinnati in a non-conference matchup on Thursday. The Cyclones rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half to nearly pull off an upset over Gonzaga on Sunday, while the Bearcats come into the contest having won three straight.

• Iowa State is one of the most prolific scoring teams in the country with an average of 88.8 points, but it doesn’t slack off at the defensive end, holding the opposition to 64.8. Cincinnati relies on a pair of high scorers for much of its offense, as Jacob Evans leads the way with 17.8 points, while Kyle Washington is averaging 16.8, 9.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. The Bearcats know they need to concentrate on hitting the glass to limit Iowa State to a single shot as much as possible, although Gary Clark – one of the team’s best rebounders – is day-to-day after suffering an ankle injury in Cincinnati’s last contest.

• The Bearcats continue to push to get more out of Clark, who was a Preseason All-American Athletic Conference selection. But the junior has taken a step back from last season’s averages of 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds, recording 7.3 and 5.7 thus far in 2016-17. An ankle injury that limited him to just six minutes against Lipscomb didn’t help, but even before the injury, Clark had scored in double figures only twice this season after hitting that mark 19 times as a sophomore.

• Deonte Burton emerged for the Cyclones, scoring 21 of his career-high 29 points in the second half as the team was rallying. Burton also hit the boards more than usual, finishing with 12 rebounds and giving Prohm some ammunition when it comes to pushing him to do more on the glass.

• Iowa State averages just 11 turnovers, tops in the Big 12, while the Bearcats are forcing opponents into 16.7 miscues per contest.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: #19 Iowa State Cyclones

Confidence: 5/10

Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Previous Pick
Next Pick