TV: Mediacom/ESPN3/ESPNFC
Lines: Vegas -> ISU -13.5; Pomeroy -> ISU -15; Sagarin -> ISU -16.5
Records: Iowa State (5-0), Montana State (5-1)
Montana State is in the Big Sky conference (along with N. Arizona), and is projected to be in the middle of the pack on that conference. Playing at Iowa State is going to be this team's biggest test of the season, as they've only played teams in the 200-300 range of Ken Pomeroy's rankings. Iowa State is rated in the 70s right now.
For Iowa State, the key here is to be sharper than the last game, and keep building towards a tough stretch in the beginning of December.
Montana State Starting 5
G: #4 Rod Singleton, 5'10, JR
G: #23 Erik Rush, 6'5, JR
F: #15 Bobby Howard, 6'7, JR
F: #33 Danny Piepoli, 6'6, JR
C: #34 Cody Anderson, 6'10, SO
Howard, Rush, and Singleton do over 60% of the team's scoring. Howard and Rush also do about 35% of the team's rebounding, while the rest of the team only averages a couple/game each.
Montana State also plays an additional 5 guys off the bench regularly, and have had as many as 12 guys make apperances so far this season.
Prediction:
Iowa State has been shooting better (59.7% eFG vs. 51.9%). Montana State is in love with the three-ball, averaging about 25.5 attempts/game (ISU averages just over 20). The rebounding percentage and turnover percentage are basically even. These teams have played similar schedules, so it will be interesting to see how they matchup. It is all going to come down to who shoots better from beyond the arc. When you have two teams that rely on a good chunk of their scoring from there, there is a lot of volatility in what the results can be. I'm going with Iowa State by 8 in this one, and will probably be dead wrong and view another Cyclone blowout.
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