We have a top-25 NCAAB team playing on Monday, February 27, which is a good enough reason to check out the best Mountaineers vs. Cyclones betting pick and odds.

Iowa State is desperate to avoid the fourth consecutive defeat when they host West Virginia at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones are -3.5 favorites on BetDSI Sportsbook, while the total is set at 135 points. These Big 12 foes will meet for the second time this season; the Mountaineers won 76-71 at home earlier this month.

Mountaineers fell short of Kansas on the road

The West Virginia Mountaineers (16-13, 14-15-0 ATS) were close to making an upset against the Kanas Jayhawks on the road but left empty-handed in the end. The Mountaineers lost 76-74 although they had a final possession; however, they even failed to attempt a shot as they finished the game with a turnover. West Virginia was better in rebounds (34-26) but the hosts were more accurate from the floor and from beyond the arc, while the Mountaineers were reckless with the ball in possession, committing even 21 turnovers.

Senior guard Erik Stevenson led the Mountaineers with a game-high 23 points, six rebounds, and team-high four assists. Tre Mitchell followed him with 20 points, game-high seven boards, and two steals, Kedrian Johnson had 15 points and two thefts, while Emmitt Matthews Jr. contributed 13 points and six rebounds.

Cyclones lost to Oklahoma at home

The No 23. Iowa State Cyclones (17-11, 14-14-0 ATS) lost seven of the previous nine games and are currently on a three-game losing skid. The Cyclones’ most recent loss came to the Oklahoma Sooners at home, and for the third straight game, they failed to score more than 55 points. After playing well in the opening half and limiting the Sooners to 23 points, Iowa State scored just 22 in the second half and allowed 38 in a 61-50 defeat. The Cyclones were miserable from the field (31.0%) and made only four triples opposite Oklahoma’s ten, while the Sooners were also better in rebounds (39-27) and assists (15-6).

Senior guard Gabe Kalscheur led the Cyclones with 12 points. Tamin Lipsey added ten points, five rebounds, and game-high four steals, but two of them were only Iowa State’s players in double figures in this loss.

Trends:

West Virginia:

  • 7-15 ATS in the last 22 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
  • 2-5 ATS in the last seven games vs. a team with a winning % above .600

Iowa State:

  • 13-2 SU in the last 15 games at home

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Iowa State Cyclones Pick

The Cyclones are going through their worst period of the campaign, but they are in jeopardy of losing their top 25 status, and they must get a win here. It’s going to be extremely hard to beat Baylor on the road in the final game of the regular season, so I am going with the Cyclones to do it on Monday against West Virginia. Iowa State doesn’t have a good offense and that’s why they are relying on their excellent top-20 defense that allows 62.0 points per game. West Virginia is scoring 76.5 ppg, so it’s going to be hard to limit the visitors to 60-65 points, especially after the Mountaineers scored 76 in the most recent H2H win. Still, I am sure the Cyclones will bounce back and will also get the thing going offensively.

Pick: Take the Cyclones at -2.5 (-133)

The Total

I expect the Cyclones to show a much better display on offense after failing to score more than 55 points in three straight games, and although I don’t expect them to score 80+ points, around 70 should be enough for our Over bet. Of course, I have faith in West Virginia’s offense, which is quite good, and proved it in the previous H2H duel. Over is 13-4-1 in the Cyclones’ last 18 games following a double-digit loss at home; Over is 27-8 in the Mountaineers’ previous 35 road games, while Over is 12-3-1 in West Virginia’s last 16 vs. a team with a winning straight-up record.

Pick: Go Over 133.5 points (-133)