Iowa State vs BYU Predictions, Picks & Player Props for the Big 12 Tournament

• The #12 Iowa State Cyclones face the #17 BYU Cougars in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament
• BYU handed Iowa State one of only two home losses during the regular season
• See the Iowa State vs BYU predictions, picks, and player props to target on March 13

One of the first ranked-on-ranked matchups of conference tournament week sees the #12 Iowa State Cyclones (24-8, 13-7 Big 12, 19-13 ATS) battling the #17 BYU Cougars (23-8, 14-6 Big 12, 19-12 ATS) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO, at 11:30 am CT/12:30 pm ET.

Iowa State vs BYU Prediction & Pick

• BYU moneyline (+154) at DraftKings – two units
  

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Sascha Paruk’s 2024-25 NCAAM betting record: 42-35 (+3.18 units). All wagers 1 unit unless expressly stated otherwise.

In my view, this is a great spot to bet BYU at significant plus-money. Not only do the Cougars already have a ivery recent road win over the Cyclones under their belt (88-85 in double-OT on March 4), they are also more rested and healthier. The status of Iowa State guards Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert is unclear. Lipsey (10.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.2 APG) left Wednesday’s 76-56 win over Cincinnati late in the second half with a groin injury. His status for Thursday’s game remains unclear. On top of that, star guard Keshon Gilbert (13.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG ,4.1 APG), who was returning from a muscle strain, only played 11 minutes, all in the first half, scoring just three points.

BYU is also playing more-consistent basketball of late. The Cougars finished the regular season with eight straight wins, moving them from 6-6 in Big 12 play to 14-6. Meanwhile, the Cyclones lost three of their last five straight-up, which allowed them to get leapfrogged by BYU for the last double-bye in the Big 12 Tournament.

The manner in which BYU beat Iowa State a couple weeks ago gives me confidence they can do it again. Iowa State’s biggest weakness is on the glass, where they rank outside the top-100 in Division I in both OREB% (32.2%, 110th) and DREB% (71.7%). BYU sits 79th in OREB% (33.2%) and 23rd in DREB% (74.3%) and absolutely embarrassed the Cyclones on the boards in the first meeting; BYU finished the game with an absurd +28 rebound differential (52-24), led by 15 from junior center Keba Keita (6.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG). All the BYU starters had at least four boards.

Usually reliant on the three ball, BYU shot below its season average (37.0%) in the win over ISU (11-32, 34.4%), and their ball-handling was atrocious. ISU generated 18 steals and still lost.

The Cyclones are apt to win the turnover battle again; BYU sits an ugly 208th in turnover percentage. But I expect their composure to be considerably better outside of Hilton Coliseum.

The Public’s BYU vs Iowa State Pick

While I’m siding with BYU to win at a juicy price, the public feels differently. Roughy an hour and a half before tipoff, Iowa State is getting 72% of moneyline handle on 74% of wagers.

The public does like BYU to cover as 3.5-point underdogs, though. The Cougars are currently getting 56% of ATS handle on 66% of the ATS tickets.

The public also likes the game to go over its total of 146.5, putting 74% of O/U handle and 71% of O/U wagers on the over as of 11:00 am ET.

ISU vs BYU Player Props

Iowa State vs BYU player props from bet365 on March 13. See SBD’s list of new betting sites.

Only four players are listed in the Iowa State vs BYU player props, largely because of injury concerns to Lipsey and Gilbert. BYU leading scorer Richie Saunders (16.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 APG) has the highest point total at 17.5, while Joshua Jefferson (12.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.9 APG) leads the ISU side at 14.5.

Best Available Iowa State vs BYU Odds

Odds as of 9:09 am ET. Check out SBD’s updated list of sports gambling apps.

The Iowa State/BYU odds show some variety in terms of the spread and moneyline. The spread is as high as BYU +3.5 (-105) at BetMGM – making it the best sportsbook to bet the Cougars against the spread – while it’s as low as Iowa State -3.0 (-110) at bet365.

The best moneyline option for ISU bettors is -170, which is available at Caesars, bet365, and BetMGM. The best moneyline price on a BYU victory is +154 at DraftKings.

The game total has been bet into submission. All sportsbooks list the O/U at 146.5 with only slight variations in price.