Iowa State vs DePaul Odds, Pick for Friday

The Iowa State Cyclones are hitting the road for a fairly short trip over to Chicago to battle DePaul. These two programs are seemingly headed in opposite directions, though the Cyclones will be just as desperate as DePaul to get a victory considering a loss would be their third in succession.

T.J. Otzelberger will be determined to get his Cyclones back on track by winning the only true road game of Iowa State's non-conference schedule.

Let's dive into the latest college basketball odds, as well as my pick and prediction for Iowa State vs. DePaul on Friday, December 1.

After rattling off five consecutive wins to begin the season, Iowa State dropped back-to-back battles to wrap up its Feast Week in Orlando. The Cyclones are now 5-2 on the season (4-3 ATS) and enter Friday night's game with the same vigor as a golfer teeing off right after making a double bogey.

The pattern of the last couple seasons for Iowa State has been very similar — hot non-conference starts have been followed by admirable efforts in the Big 12 portion of its schedule.

Ultimately, Otzelberger has seen his teams fall short in the NCAA tournament due to an eventual sputtering of the offense. Iowa State's losses to Virginia Tech and Texas A&M last week were evidence that the offensive lulls are not completely resolved yet.

Otzelberger has clearly established an identity as a coach who demands excellence on the defensive end. Even in his days as the head coach of UNLV and South Dakota State, Otzelberger never had a team finish outside the top 125 in KenPom's Defensive Efficiency.

With slightly more athletic defenders at Iowa State, Otzelberger's Cyclones have finished in the top 10 of that same defensive metric in his first two years in Ames.

Naturally, Cyclone supporters are now anxious to see the offense keep pace. The same supporters likely had an anxiety-ridden offseason, knowing the scoring Iowa State had last season wouldn't be returning to campus in the fall.

Jaren Holmes, Gabe Kalscheur, Caleb Grill and Osun Osunniyi all averaged eight or more points per game last season for the Clones, and all departed Ames after the close of last season.

Consequently, Otzelberger utilized the transfer portal to bring in three different guards to sure up the backcourt. Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones and Jackson Paveletzke all shot above 36% from 3 last season and should help space the floor offensively for Iowa State.

The pulse of Otzelberger's team, however, has been one of the returning guards.

Tamin Lipsey appears to be molded similarly to many of the best guards in the Big 12 over the past decade. Whether it be Jevon Carter, Frank Mason III, Barry Brown Jr. and now even Dajuan Harris, the Big 12 has seen many phenomenal guards have success, despite the fact that none are known for being prolific shooters.

Lipsey has the same traits and helps Iowa State win in so many ways without relying upon an ability to shoot it from deep.

In just his sophomore season, Lipsey is the clear leader and facilitator for the Cyclones. He'll gladly lead the charge in challenging his teammates to put forth an effort that leads to a win against a clearly struggling opponent.

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Tony Stubblefield's days as the leader of DePaul's basketball program may be coming to a close sooner than he would've hoped.

Stubblefield still hasn't helped the Blue Demons garner anything resembling positive momentum, including an especially poor start to this season. DePaul has yet to play a true road game through its first six matchups, managing a lowly 1-5 record in those contests.

Coincidentally, the Blue Demons are also 1-5 ATS in those games.

The record for Stubblefield's team is bad enough. What's worse? The fanbase has clearly become apathetic towards his program. DePaul has averaged less than 1,000 fans in attendance of its home games thus far, which is a shockingly low figure for a Big East team located in the heart of Chicago.

Every athletic department is interested in maximizing their potential profitability. Losing to the extent DePaul has lately has caused Blue Demon fans to simply become disinterested, which certainly won't bring more dollars into the program.

If the Blue Demons are to pull a massive Friday-night upset, it won't be because of a massive home court advantage.

A win over Iowa State would have a lot of staying power in terms of boosting DePaul's team morale. The Cyclones are a perennial top-30 team under Otzelberger, meaning a DePaul win would in all likelihood net a Quad 1 win by the end of the season.

DePaul's leader Chico Carter Jr. and the emerging wing Elijah Fisher would be able to draw upon the memory of a win over Iowa State in stressful situations that they'll be faced with in Big East play down the road.

Frankly, I just don't think a victorious outcome is likely for Stubblefield and the Blue Demons.

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With all the chatter about the occasional offensive struggles of both these teams, I'm in search of the most reliable and predictable outcome.

If DePaul's offense is as big of a concern as it appeared to be against decent competition at the Arizona Tip-Off, the sight of Iowa State's defense won't be a welcome one.

Iowa State shouldn't be overlooking DePaul, given the fact that the Cyclones' two most recent results have both been losses. Iowa State should put forth a maximum effort defensively and rely on that unit to begin a new winning streak.

DePaul will likely have quite the time simply eclipsing the 60-point barrier.

Take the DePaul team total under here and trust the best unit on the floor: the Cyclones' defense.

Pick: DePaul Team Total Under 60.5

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