No. 9 Missouri Tigers at Iowa State Cyclones
Wednesday, 1/11/12, 8:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN3
Opening Point Spread: Missouri -4
Current Betting Line: Missouri -4
Opening Total: 151.5
Current Total: 151
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Missouri looks to rebound from its first loss of the season, dropping a 75-59 decision to the Kansas State Wildcats as one-point road favorites. The Tigers managed to shoot just 32.7 percent from the floor and committed 14 turnovers. “A lot of it we feel that it was stuff we did,” commented Tigers senior guard Marcus Denmon. “It is something that we are going to have to work on.” The program has won the last seven meetings in this particular series, including three in a row in Ames. Missouri is 4-3 ATS as a road favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus seasons.
The Tigers currently rank second nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 51 percent from the floor, while also being second in outscoring opponents by 22.5 points per game on average. Denmon leads all Big 12 Conference players in averaging 18.7 points per game. Sixth man Michael Dixon supplies the squad energy off the bench, combining with fellow point guard Phil Pressey to combine for 21.8 points and 8.9 assists per game.
Iowa State is 2-0 in Big 12 play for just the fifth time in school history and will be looking to start 3-0 for only the second time. The Cyclones have been outscored by an average of 14.4 points during their seven-game losing streak versus the Tigers. The team has won seven games in a row and head coach Fred Hoiberg knows his squad is focused on earning a spot in the NCAA tournament. “It was a very business-like approach going into that Texas game, and then we followed that up here,” stated Hoiberg after beating Texas A&M on the road. Iowa State is 20-15 ATS versus conference foes the last two-plus years.
The Cyclones have definitely ended some losing streaks in the past seven days, snapping a seven and eight-game skid against the Longhorns and Aggies respectively. Iowa State has four players averaging in double figures, with sophomore forward Royce White leading the way in scoring 12.9 points per game. He just tallied his first triple-double last Saturday.
Bettors will likely back the Cyclones due to the underdog being 15-7-1 ATS in the last 23 meetings, while the Tigers are 0-3-1 ATS following a straight-up loss.
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