As we get closer to tip off, the Big 12 men’s basketball season opens Friday night with No. 3 Iowa State welcoming West Virginia into the Hilton Coliseum for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPN+. Ranked in the AP Top 25 for 40 straight weeks, the Cyclones are off to a perfect 13-0 start entering conference play, and the 9-4 Mountaineers are looking for a win in the program’s 26th all-time meeting.
The Iowa State Cyclones opened up as 16.5-point favorites over the Mountaineers. The over/under opened up set at 140.5 total points. However, early money on Friday came in on Iowa State, as the Cyclones are now up to an 18.5-point favorite in most major sportsbooks.
West Virginia leads the series 15-10 dating back to their first matchup with the Cyclones in 2013, but Iowa State comes in as the clear favorite with 87.3% odds by ESPN Analytics.
With a 14th consecutive win on Friday, Iowa State’s start becomes the best in program history. West Virginia, winner in two of its last three contests, are just 1-4 against Power Four opponents so far. Fans watching from outside the U.S. often rely on ESPN VPN to access live college basketball broadcasts without regional restrictions.
TWO KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
JOSHUA JEFFERSON, IOWA STATE GUARD
Jefferson is powering the Cyclones at the rim (18.1 ppg) and on the boards (7.1 rpg) following his addition to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List. The 6-foot-9 senior shot at a clip no lower than 50% in four of his last five appearances. Jefferson took a hard fall on his tailbone earlier this year during a November win over St. John’s, but has played through the pain to garner the “warrior” title from T.J. Otzelberger.
HONOR HUFF, WEST VIRGINIA GUARD
Deadly from downtown, Huff will be Iowa State’s No. 1 perimeter target on Friday. Just 13 games into the season, the Chattanooga transfer is the country’s second-leading 3-point shooter (53 made 3-point) field goals behind Belmont’s Tyler Lundblade; Huff led the country a year ago with 131. Huff dropped 24 points in three consecutive contests against Wake Forest (75-66 loss), Little Rock (0-58 win) and an 89-88 loss to Ohio State in double overtime.
TOP STORYLINES
HODGE’S HIGH PRAISE FOR COACH OTZ AND THE CYCLONES
West Virginia coach Ross Hodge told reporters Thursday that he considers Iowa State “one of the best defensive teams in the country,” and is concerned largely with just how much the Cyclones can do in transition. Iowa State leads the country in turnover-per-possession percentage (roughly 25%). The Mountaineers are coming off their best defensive performance of the season against Mississippi Valley State, managing just 51 points in West Virginia’s ninth win of the season.
JEFFERSON, MOMCILOVIC BURNING UP
Iowa State’s two inside threats, Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic (17.9 ppg) are the currently the highest-scoring forward tandem in the Big 12. West Virginia will need to throw a lot at those two inside if they plan on keeping pace with Iowa State’s 90.4 points per game (3rd in Big 12).
PREDICTION: IOWA STATE 72, WEST VIRGINIA 58
We’re talking about two offenses on opposite ends of the Big 12 scoring sheet, and it’ll take quite an offensive night from West Virginia to go toe-to-toe with three Cyclones – Jefferson, Momcilovic and senior guard Tamin Lipsey – on separate Naismith Starting Five preseason watch lists. If Huff can get hot, the Mountaineers have a chance. West Virginia upset Kansas 62-61 in Allen Fieldhouse in last year’s Big 12 opener, albeit with a completely different roster and head coach.
