Iowa State vs. Arizona picks: Wildcats go for fifth straight win when they host Cyclones on Monday, March 2
The Cyclones and Wildcats tangle on Monday in a matchup of two of the Big 12's best teams
Earlier this month, the Arizona Wildcats saw their undefeated season come to an end at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks. The Wildcats went on to drop their following game as well to Texas Tech and some wondered if Tommy Lloyd's squad was truly ready to be a national title threat.
Arizona has won four in a row since that stretch and will welcome another Big 12 heavyweight to Tucson on "Big Monday" when it hosts Iowa State. The Cyclones are 24-5 on the year but 2-2 in their last four games, including a 82-73 loss to a Texas Tech team which no longer has JT Toppin. Both teams are tournament bound but Iowa State has a great opportunity to improve its seed line while Arizona tries to lock up the Big 12 regular season title with its fifth win in a row.
We'll take a look at the latest Iowa State vs. Arizona odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and make picks with recommendations from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times. It entered Week 18 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 23-17 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Iowa State vs. Arizona picks for Monday, March 2
Iowa State +7.5
Iowa State is just 5-4 straight up in road games this season and the Cyclones have the same ATS mark away from Hilton Coliseum. They are 1-0 ATS as road underdogs and the SportsLine model has them covering this spread in 59% of simulations. Arizona is 12-12-1 ATS as a favorite this season and just 7-8-1 ATS at the McHale Center.
Iowa State money line
This is an interesting recommendation from the model, as Arizona has only lost once at home this season and Iowa State is essentially playing .500 basketball on the road. However, the Cyclones win outright in 35% of simulations and thus bring value at +300 odds (wager $100 to win $300).
Over 147.5
Arizona ranks third in defensive efficiency on KenPom and Iowa State is eighth. The Wildcats are 8-8 to the Over at home while Iowa State is 2-7 to the Over as the road side. So why is the model recommending the Over here? Arizona is averaging 79.8 points per game over its four-game winning streak and Iowa State has scored at least 70 points in each of its last four games. The Over hits in 66.2% of simulations.
