The Iowa State Cyclones (27-7) battle the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (22-12) in the 1st round of the East Region Thursday from CHI Health Center Omaha. Tip is set for 7:35 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the South Dakota State vs. Iowa State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Iowa State is No. 4 in the . It earned the No. 2 seed in the region after throttling No. 2 Houston 69-41 in the Big 12 Championship despite closing as 5.5-point underdogs. The Cyclones won and covered in all 3 conference tournament games and ended the season 19-10-2 against the spread (ATS). They are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games.
South Dakota State was awarded the 15th seed after beating the Denver Pioneers 76-68 in the Summit Conference final. The Jackrabbits are the only representatives from the Summit and covered in 2 of their 3 tournament wins. They finished the regular season 15-13 ATS. The Jackrabbits are led by G Zeke Mayo, who finished the regular season averaging 19.3 points per game.
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