Iowa State basketball: Cyclones open as 8-point favorites over South Carolina
By Brian Spaen
On the betting line, Iowa State basketball opens up as an eight point favorite over South Carolina for Saturday’s tilt at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York.
According to Covers, the spread has quickly moved from eight to seven on one offshorts sportsbook, BetOnline.ag. No other popular offshore sportsbook or Vegas has the line yet, but it will be around this same mark when they do later tonight and early tomorrow morning.
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South Carolina’s been doing their job when it comes to covering spreads. They didn’t have a spread in their last two games, but did in the previous four. They squeaked by North Carolina-Asheville with an 89-75 win when they were 13.5-point favorites. After that, they easily covered against Marshall, Oklahoma State, and Clemson. The only game they weren’t favored in was against the Cowboys, where they were a 1.5-point underdog. Yet, the Gamecocks took the game handily, 75-49.
Iowa State’s been doing their job covering as well. They’re 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 games with opponents that had a winning percentage above 60 percent. They’re also 7-2 in their last nine games against an SEC opponent and last nine neutral site games.
The Cyclones covered against their previous two SEC opponents. They were 6.5-point favorites against Alabama and Arkansas and won those games by double digits. On neutral courts this season, Iowa State is 2-1 as they lost to Maryland as 4.5-point favorites. The other two were again against the Crimson Tide and covering the large 18-point spread against Drake.
Last time Iowa State was in New York, the Cyclones were a pick ’em against UConn in Madison Square Garden. They obviously didn’t cover as they fell to the Huskies in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
An early look at the line movement indicates that we could see that number dwindle for Iowa State. For those that expect just a small marginal victory for either team, they better hop on South Carolina and the points soon.