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Iowa State is the #2 seed in the East Region
Washington State is the #7 seed in the East Region
The Cyclones beat South Dakota State by 17 in the First Round
Washington State survived #10 Drake in the first round, 66-61. This victory earned them a date with the second-seeded Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday night. Iowa State won the Big 12 and is playing their best basketball at the right time.
The Cyclones dominated South Dakota State 82-65 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Many picked South Dakota State as a Cinderella story in March Madness. However, Iowa State ended this dream relatively quickly.
The Cougars have been shaky to end the season, while Iowa State is playing their best basketball. We will break down our pick to advance to the Sweet 16.
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Washington State had an unbelievable comeback against Drake in the first round. The Bulldogs were up eight points on the Cougars with eight minutes remaining.
Drake couldn’t close out the Cougars, as Washington State was relentless in the closing minutes. Isaac Jones willed his team to a victory with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Jones has been their leader all season. The 6’9” senior can set the tone on the glass and also was 29th in the country in shooting percentage at 57.8%.
The guard to watch for Washington State is Myles Rice. Rice is just a freshman, but he still averaged 14.9 points and 3.9 assists per game this season. If these two come to play, they should have a chance against the second-seeded Cyclones.
Iowa State is one of the best teams in the tournament and a legitimate threat to make it out of the East Region. The East is stacked because it features four conference champions, including UConn, a heavy favorite to win the National Championship.
Despite this, Iowa State is positioned well in the region if they can reach the Sweet 16. The Cyclones are better than Washington State and would play the winner of Duqesne and Illinois in the next round.
Iowa State is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, and this has carried them throughout the postseason. The Cyclones are sixth in the KenPom Ratings and second in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Keshon Gilbert is the player to watch for the Cyclones. He averages 13.8 points per game with four rebounds and assists. Look for Gilbert to be very active on both ends of the floors.
PICK: Iowa State -5.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook
Washington State is a balanced team, but they will need help on defense and in transition. Iowa State wants to play a slow, constricting pace of basketball, which leads to tight games.
This is the primary reason the spread is just 5.5 points. If the Cyclones played faster, the spread would be a few points higher, as they’re the best team on the floor.
Washington State is 37th in the KenPom Ratings, and they are much worse on defense. Iowa State should have plenty of scoring chances and win the transition battle. If the Cyclones take care of the ball, they should advance to the Sweet 16.
When: Saturday, March 23rd @ 6:10 PM ET
Where: CHI Health Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
TV: TNT
Streaming: March Madness App
Tanner Kern has been working in the betting industry since 2020. He currently is a social media content creator at DraftKings and contributes to multiple sites in addition to WSN, including Forbes and VSiN. He is also the cohost of the podcast Ride the Line at WSN.
More info on Tanner Kern
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