Iowa State Cyclones vs Baylor Bears Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/09/2023

Game Time: 12:30 pm ET, Thursday, March 9, 2023

Venue:  T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO

Where to Watch:  ESPN Networks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  ISU +4.5, Baylor -4.5; Over/Under:  134 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  ISU +4.5, Baylor -4.5; Over/Under:  134 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  ISU +4.5, Baylor -4.5; Over/Under:  134 points

Iowa State Cyclones:  18-12 (9-9) (5th place, Big 12)

Baylor Bears:  22-9 (11-7) (4th place, Big 12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jack Banks is on a HOT STREAK in CBB: 118-81 Run! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Iowa State Cyclones:  1-4  last 5

Baylor Bears:  2-3  last 5

Iowa State is coming into this game with an 18-12 record overall and they are 2-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 9-9 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game off of a win against the Baylor Bears in their last game. Jaren Holmes led the team in points in that game with 16 while Tre King was next on the team with 13 points. Jaren Holmes and Tamin Lipsey each led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Tre King and Jaren Holmes each led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 54.2% from the field, 37.5% from 3-point range, and 68.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 68.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.2 PPG against them. Iowa State has an ATS record of 15-15 this season and their O/U record is 10-20.

Baylor is coming into this game with a 22-9 record overall and they are 3-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 11-7 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Iowa State Cyclones in their last game. Adam Flagler led the team in points in that game with 20 while LJ Cryer was next on the team with 13 points. LJ Cryer and Keyonte George each led the team in assists in that game with 2 while Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 35.8% from the field, 35.7% from 3-point range, and 55.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70 PPG against them. Baylor has an ATS record of 16-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 16-15.

The current betting odds have Baylor listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Baylor enters this game as the higher seed in the Big 12 Tournament and they are coming off a very good season where they finished 22-9 overall with an 11-7 conference record. They were starting to get really hot too towards the end of the season but lost their final game of the regular season at home to this very same Iowa State team, and that game was a blowout loss too. Iowa State finished the regular season with an 18-12 record overall but they struggled a lot more in the Big 12 with their 9-9 conference record. They did end their season with that big road win over Baylor but they were playing terribly right before that and were in a massive slump to end the year. They will have some momentum from that win in their last game but since it was the last game both teams played, it could also work against iowa State here as they won on Baylor's home court so Baylor will have some extra motivation here to get their revenge and crush Iowa State who has been struggling lately. The best way to place a bet here is on Baylor to cover the spread in this game. 

Iowa State Baylor Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, March 9, 2023 (12:30 pm ET start time) is Baylor 71 Iowa State 64.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Iowa State Cyclones Baylor Bears prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

Iowa State Cyclones: 3-10 ATS off an upset win by 15 points or more as an underdog. 17-24 ATS after 3 consecutive conference games. 20-10 UNDER in all games.

Baylor Bears: 23-17 ATS after 1 or more consecutive unders. 14-8 ATS after 2 straight games with 9 or less offensive rebounds. 9-2 UNDER revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a favorite. 

Iowa State Cyclones:  J. Williams (G) out for season - Achilles.

Baylor Bears:  L. Love (G) Ques Thurs - Eye. D. Grimes (G) out for season - Redshirt.

“We’ve got a lot of depth on this team, we’ve got a lot of heart. And we need to re-harness or bring in with our group, that togetherness, that unity, everyone playing for each other. And there’s no better way to get everybody playing for each other than to get everybody in the game and to feel that energy and that enthusiasm.” - T.J. Otzelberger after his team’s win against Baylor in their final game of the regular season.

“You look at it, and you can see a 1 by a name, you can see a 10 by a name, and us coaches know that there isn’t that big a margin. And the players understand it in the Big 12 because they’ve seen it first-hand and up close how good everybody is, and how competitive it is, and how physical and tough it is.” - Scott Drew on the state of the Big 12 Tournament coming into this game. 

C. Grill 

J. Holmes 

G. Kalscheur

T. Lipsey 

O. Osunniyi

J. Bridges 

L. Cryer 

A. Flagler 

K. George 

F. Thamba

PPG: J. Holmes (13.2)

APG: T. Lipsey (4.6)

Reb/G: A. Kunc (4.4)

PPG: K. George (16)

APG: A. Flagler (4.8)

Reb/G: J. Bridges (5.8)

Coaches:

Iowa State Cyclones: T.J. Otzelberger (2nd season)

Baylor Bears: Scott Drew (20th season)