Later tonight, the Cyclones face the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri. How do I think the Cyclones will do? To be honest, I have a feeling that they could be looking at a blowout here. Missouri is a team that can score a lot of points, doesn't turn the ball over much, and also creates turnovers with really putting pressure on whomever is handling the ball.
If you can get Missouri in a halfcourt game, it is to your advantage typically. Missouri allows a pretty high eFG% out of their opponents (47.7%), so the key is to put up shots instead of turn the ball over. The thing is, slowing things down and playing a half-court game is not to Iowa State's advantage. Iowa State looks better when they are in transition as it creates more open looks for them. At the same time, the 6-7 guys from Iowa State are not going to be able to keep up with the 9-10 guys Missouri is going to play. They just are not.
I would have to imagine Iowa State is going to slow the game down at times. I'd also imagine that Calvin Godfrey and Bubu Palo may see more minutes than their season averages. You cannot have our guys play 39-40 minutes against Mizzou and expect to win. I love how this team plays, but they are facing the team they matchup with the worst in the conference tonight. I don't see how Iowa State can stop Denmon and English. You are talking about two potential All-Big 12 first teamers here. Heck, Denmon won't win it, but he's a POY candidate in the Big 12 as well in my opinion. Plus, he looks like Xzibit, so he probably goes around campus with people asking him if they can pimp their ride....
Really, the key to Iowa State's game needs to be taking care of the ball. If you do not turn the ball over excessively, you have a shot. Missouri is probably the hardest team in the conference to overcome excessive turnovers because they really make you pay (KU is second as they get out in transition pretty quickly). The guys didn't come back home due to weather in OK; they have been together for 5 days now. Maybe they worked on their half-court offense a bit, because that is what it is going to take to win the game. If Iowa State had just a couple more guys who could play at a Big 12 level, then I would like their chances. Being short guys on the road in Columbia is not a place a team wants to be. If I were to predict a score, I'd go with 84-62 Missouri. I hope Iowa State can do something special tonight and make me look like a fool.
Game tips off at 8pm CST on ESPNU.