UCF Black Knights vs Iowa State Cyclones Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/21/2025

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Venue:  Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  UCF +16.5, ISU -16.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  UCF +16.5, ISU -16.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  UCF +16.5, ISU -16.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

UCF Black Knights:  12-5 (3-3) (7th place, Big 12)

Iowa State Cyclones:  15-2 (5-1) (2nd place, Big 12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Wayne Root is on a HOT STREAK in college basketball on a 13-5 CBB RUN for +$7,500 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

UCF Black Knights:  2-3  last 5

Iowa State Cyclones:  4-1  last 5

UCF is entering this game with a 12-5 record overall, a 3-3 record in conference games, and they are 2-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Houston Cougars in their last game. Moustapha Thiam led the team in points per game in that game with 18 while Jordan Ivy-Curry was next on the team with 14. Darius Johnson led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Keyshawn Hall led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 40.3% from the field, 30.4% from 3-point range, and 64.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 77.4 PPG against them. UCF has an ATS record of 9-8 this season and their O/U record is 11-6.

Iowa State is entering this game with a 15-2 record overall, a 5-1 conference record, and they are 10-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the West Virginia Mountaineers in their last game. Curtis Jones led the team in points in that game with 18 while Keshon Gilbert was next on the team with 13. Keshon Gilbert led the team in assists with 2 in that game while Joshua Jefferson led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 43.9% from the field, 5.9% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.2 PPG against them. Iowa State has an ATS record of 11-6 this season and their O/U record is 8-9.

The current betting odds have Iowa State listed as a 16.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Iowa State has looked great in their games this season with their 15-2 record overall and their 5-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big 12. They have looked great on their home court this year with their 10-0 home record and they are one of the best teams in the nation, ranked inside the top 3. Meanwhile, UCF has looked good in their games this season with their 12-5 record overall, but their 3-3 conference record has them right in the middle of the Big 12. They have been a good road team so far with their 2-1 road record, and they are coming off a really tight loss in their last one, losing to Houston at home by 1 point. As good as UCF has looked lately, they haven't been good when they have had to play against stronger opponents. They have a really bad loss to Wisconsin earlier this season and got embarrassed on their home court when they played Kansas. UCf has a solid team, but they don't have the talent that a team like Iowa State has and they haven't been able to play well against that step up in competition. Iowa State is also coming off a loss to West Virginia in their last one which was their first conference loss of the season and only 2nd loss all year, so they are going to be looking to bounce back in a big way now that they are back at home. The best way to place a bet here is on Iowa State to cover the spread in this game. 

UCF Iowa State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, January 21, 2025 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Iowa State 87 UCF 64.

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

UCF Black Knights: 3-7 1H ATS after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 9-16 1H ATS in road games. 6-11 1H ATS versus good passing teams, averaging 16 assists/game or more. 16-7 OVER off a loss against a conference rival. 20-11 OVER after 1 or more consecutive losses.

Iowa State Cyclones: 29-15 ATS in all home games. 26-15 ATS as a home favorite or pick. 15-7 ATS after playing a road game. 22-14 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 4-0 OVER versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game. 

UCF Black Knights:  M. Thiam (C) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Sellers (G) Questionable - Back. C. Simpson (G) Questionable - Illness.

Iowa State Cyclones:  M. Momcilovic (F) Out - Hand. C. Hawley (F) Out - Shoulder.

“It was a hard-fought game. You tip your hat to Houston. They made one more play at the end than we did. I’m proud of our guys, we battled and fought as well as they did. Both teams were competing at a high level; we just didn’t close as well as they did.” - Johnny Dawkins Jr. after his team’s loss against Houston in their last game. 

“Yeah, certainly knew going to West Virginia is gonna be a tough environment to play and they're a really good team. They did a tremendous job defensively getting back in transition and really shrinking the floor, which caused some issues for us.” - T.J. Otzelberger after his team’s loss against WVU in their last game. 

D. Coleman 

K. Hall 

J. Ivy-Curry 

D. Johnson 

M. Thiam

K. Gilbert 

D. Jackson 

J. Jefferson 

T. Lipsey 

M. Momcilovic

PPG: K. Hall (16.9)

APG: D. Johnson (4.1)

Reb/G: K. Hall (6.8)

PPG: C. Jones (17.8)

APG: K. Gilbert (4.7)

Reb/G: J. Jefferson (8.3)

Coaches:

UCF Black Knights: Johnny Dawkins Jr (9th season)

Iowa State Cyclones: T.J. Otzelberger (4th season)