NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Arena: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH
Line: Cincinnati (-4.5)
The Iowa State Cyclones are coming off of their first loss of the season, as Northern Iowa Panthers, who also defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels earlier in the season, pulled off the upset in Ames, 81-79. The Cyclones will have no time to lick their wounds, however, as they travel to Fifth Third Arena to face the No. 22 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats on Tuesday night.
The Bearcats ground out a solid win over the VCU Rams on the road, breaking a few week drought of back to back wins. With both of their losses coming to now top 10 teams, Cincinnati will be confident that they are the best team in the American Athletic Conference and more than capable of competing with the best teams in the country.
Iowa State boasts one of the best offenses in the country, while Cincinnati boasts one of the best defenses in the country. These two teams play different styles of basketball and focus on entirely different aspects of the game, making this matchup one of the most exciting match-ups of the day.
Georges Niang, Jameel McKay and Monte Morris are the real advantages for the Cyclones, but the depth and all-around contributions of the Bearcats should do well to counteract whatever Iowa State’s stars can do. Eight different players on Cincinnati average double-digit minutes per game and the scoring of Farad Cobb and Octavius Ellis could explode into the 20-plus point mark at any time.
I’m not sure I would be able to pick this game if it was on a neutral court, because both of these teams are legitimate Final Four contenders. Since the game is in Cincinnati, however, I’m going with the Bearcats, but just barely. Watch for Cincinnati’s elite defense to get the better of Iowa State’s high-flying offense at home.
Prediction: Cincinnati 68, Iowa State 66
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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