No. 7 Iowa State will look to pull off an upset over No. 2 Arizona during the Big 12 semifinal round in a matchup of college basketball heavyweights.
While these two teams don’t sit too far apart in the rankings, the Wildcats have proven to be in a different class than their conference rivals.
Arizona is a 3.5-point favorite at FanDuel as of Friday morning, with the total set for 143.5 points.
The Wildcats dominated the Cyclones the only time they faced each other this season, less than two weeks ago, cruising to a 73-57 win on March 2 in a game that was never really close.
The punishing Wildcats defense had its way with the Cyclones, holding them to their second-fewest points in a game this season and just 29 percent shooting overall.
The individual numbers for Iowa State in that game were frightening.
The Cyclones’ leading scorer, Milan Momcilovic, had just five points in 33 minutes on 2-of-8 shooting.
Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey combined to shoot 8-of-32 and 2-of-12 from 3, with just 29 total points.
It’s a massive part of why this 30-2 Arizona team has been so special this season.
The Wildcats rank top-five in the country in opponent true shooting percentage (96.7 percent), effective field goal percentage (44.6 percent), and defensive efficiency.
Betting on College Basketball?
They’ve allowed fewer than 71 points in five of their last seven games, and I’m betting on them to keep that up Friday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Don’t expect a big night for the Cyclones’ offense.
The play: Iowa State Under 70.5 points (-120, FanDuel Sportsbook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
