2017 NCAA Tournament: Iowa State vs Nevada preview, prediction, TV schedule
By Connor Hope
In a highly anticipated 12-seed vs 5-seed matchup, the Big 12 Champion Iowa State Cyclones take on the Mountain West Champion Nevada Wolf Pack.
TV Schedule: Thursday, Mar. 16, 9:57 p.m. ET, truTV
Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
The Iowa State Cyclones and Nevada Wolf Pack face off Thursday night in a battle of heavyweight offenses.
Not only do both teams run a four-guard lineup, but they also average around 80 points per game each. This will make for an exciting, high-scoring game, as both teams play mediocre defense at best.
Iowa State was already a lock for the NCAA Tournament before the Big 12 Tournament began. However, when they beat West Virginia for the Big 12 Championship, it became automatic.
The Cyclones are led by First Team All-Big 12 point guard Monte Morris. Morris records 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is college basketball’s most effective ball distributor, leading the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.7) for the fourth straight year.
Nevada was not a lock but beat Colorado State in the Mountain West Championship to earn the conference’s only bid.
The Wolf Pack are led by their star guard Marcus Marshall. With 19.8 points per game, Marshall is the 42nd best scorer in college basketball. He leads a team that ranks 38th in the NCAA in offensive points per game.
With both teams boasting strong offenses, will this be a twelve-five upset? I wouldn’t bet on it.
The Cyclones are six-point favorites over the Wolfpack, but that is probably a little closer than it should be.
The Cyclones are the 27th highest scoring team in the country, doing so without turning the ball over or taking bad shots. In fact, they shoot a better percentage both inside and outside, compared to Nevada.
What will be the difference in this game is ball security by the backcourt. While neither team turns the ball over often, 10 times per game for Iowa State and 11 for Nevada, Iowa State forces turnovers at twice the rate that Nevada does.
Nevada will only be able to win this game if they are able to use their height to clean up the boards. If Nevada can get some second chance buckets, and prevent offensive rebounds, they will have a shot at upsetting the Cyclones. However, Iowa States effort on both ends of the court could minimize the impact of Nevada’s rebounding ability.
Next: Iowa State wins Big 12 title
This game will come down to two factors: turnovers and star players excelling. Iowa State has the edge in both categories should pull away from the Wolf Pack with relative ease. Look for Monte Morris to take the game from the outset, never giving Nevada a chance to win.
Prediction: Iowa State 76, Nevada 67