Iowa vs. #4 Iowa State Picks and Predictions: CyHawk Series on the Hardwood

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Milan Momcilovic and Iowa State take on Iowa at home tonight - Iowa Iowa State Picks

The CyHawk Series gets everyone excited on the football field in the fall, but tonight those two teams meet on the hardwood at Hilton Coliseum. The Iowa Hawkeyes head to Ames to take on the No. 4 ranked Iowa State Cyclones. Ben McCollum has his new team off to an 8-1 start, losing only to the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing. They are coming off a win over Maryland for their first conference victory, but now face a tough non conference opponent from inside their own state. Will the Cyclones keep cruising to victory at home? Let’s find out with our favorite picks below.

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Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #4 Iowa State Cyclones NCAA Basketball Insights

Bennett Stirtz and Iowa have a tough task against the Cyclones on the road tonight - Iowa Iowa State Picks

Bennett Stirtz and Iowa have a tough task against the Cyclones on the road tonight

Like I said, Iowa is playing plenty well. They are 8-1 on the year with some good wins already as well. Iowa is unranked in the AP Poll, but one of my favorite advanced analytic sites (Bart Torvik) has them as No. 24 in the country. The team has three top 100 wins, beating Xavier, Ole Miss and Grand Canyon. However, they lost to the Spartans, and then beat No. 117 Maryland. Can they step up on the road against another top 10 opponent?

The Cyclones have been rolling. They are 9-0 this season and are ranked inside the top four of the country. So far, they have great wins over Mississippi State, St. John’s, Creighton, Syracuse and Purdue, all of which are top 100 teams. They are coming off a big emotional win over the Boilermakers on the road last Saturday, and this could be a let down spot. However, I believe TJ Otzelberger will have his guys ready to go in this rivalry matchup tonight.

Matchup Information – Iowa vs. Iowa State – December 11

  • Venue & Location: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, IA)
  • Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025
  • Kick Off: 8:00 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: FS1

Iowa vs. Iowa State Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of December 11, 2025 at 9:41 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus. BetOnline offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.

Spread

  • Iowa +11.5 (-110)
  • Iowa State -11.5 (-110)

Moneyline

  • Iowa +534
  • Iowa State -750

Total

  • Over 142 (-112)
  • Under 142 (-108)

Despite the Cyclones coming off a big win, I will not be fading them. This team is good… really good. Iowa State went into Mackey Arena and manhandled the Boilermakers. They shot 48% from deep and 54% from the field while winning the turnover battle 15-12. This defense held Purdue’s offense, which is one of the most efficient in the country, to just 41% shooting and 22% from deep, plus Purdue was just 6/14 from the free throw line.

Iowa already failed to show up against a top 10 team on the road, and even in a rivalry game, I don’t see things changing. They rely way too heavily on Stirtz to score. He averages 18.8 of the Hawkeyes’ 79.9 points per game, and Iowa does not have a single other player averaging at least double digit points. If the Cyclones top Stritz, they can take away Iowa’s entire offense. I think they are capable.

Iowa vs. #4 Iowa State NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions

Tamin Lipsey and Iowa State host the Hawkeyes tonight at Hilton Coliseum - Iowa Iowa State Picks

Tamin Lipsey and Iowa State host the Hawkeyes tonight at Hilton Coliseum

Iowa vs. Iowa State Prediction: Iowa State Wins and Covers, Over 142

Best Bet: Iowa State -11.5 (-110) BetOnline

Don’t be afraid of this number. Iowa State has beaten the Hawkeyes the past two years and I trust them to make it three straight tonight in dominating fashion. The Cyclones are 9-0 overall, plus they are 7-1-1 against the spread. The two they didn’t cover? They beat Stonehill by 39 points exactly, as 39 point favorites for an ATS push, and then they beat St. John’s by one as three point favorites. They were on their way to a push leading by three during the final possession, but the Johnnies got a meaningless layup as time expired to cover the spread. I think it’s safe to say the Cyclones are over performing expectations, especially considering they beat Purdue on the road by 23 as four point underdogs.

Ultimately, the Cyclones play much faster than the Hawkeyes, which is going to lead to more possessions for both offenses. The Hawkeyes offense is good, but they cannot keep teams off of the free throw line and they are used to playing slow. Their defense won’t be able to hang for the extra trips up and down the floor.

The Cyclones are going to dominate the boards on both sides of the ball, and I trust Otzelberger to get his team ready. They’ve been through the gauntlet and are looking at three cupcake games before Big 12 play starts in 2026. If you are the Cyclones, you HAVE to get up for this rivalry game, cross the finish line of this tough schedule fully, and then regroup and get ready for conference play.

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