The Eastern Illinois Panthers take on the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Iowa State is favored by -41.5 points on the spread, and the total is set at 141.5 points.
Here’s my Eastern Illinois vs. Iowa State predictions and college basketball picks for December 14, 2025.
Eastern Illinois vs Iowa State Prediction
My Pick: Iowa State -41.5
My Eastern Illinois vs Iowa State best bet is on the Cyclones to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Eastern Illinois vs. Iowa State Odds
| Eastern Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+41.5 -108 | 141.5 -110 / -110 | OFF |
| Iowa State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-41.5 -112 | 141.5 -110 / -110 | OFF |
- Eastern Illinois vs Iowa State spread: Iowa State -41.5
- Eastern Illinois vs Iowa State over/under: 141.5 points
Eastern Illinois vs Iowa State College Basketball Betting Preview
Iowa State stays home for a matinee tip against Eastern Illinois following its triumph over rival Iowa in the Cy-Hawk on Tuesday.
The Clones look to be a bona fide title contender with nary a weakness to be found on their roster.
A do-everything All-American forward in Joshua Jefferson, a veteran point guard leader in Tamin Lipsey, a stud freshman ball hawk in Killyan Toure, a pro shooting wing in Milan Momcilovic and a steady big in Blake Buchanan tie it all together.
Eastern Illinois is … well, Eastern Illinois.
Iowa State morphs into The Terminator when it plays inferior competition. The Clones are built to destroy buy-game foes, a trend that's been ever-present over T.J. Otzelberger’s head coaching tenure.
This season, Iowa State has beaten four buy-game opponents by an average of 45.3 points per game, and it’s 3-1 against the number (only beat Fairleigh Dickinson by 38 instead of 39, alas). Eastern Illinois is a buy-game opponent on the same tier as those other four squads.
Iowa State’s offense won't be stopped in this game. If the Clones want to score 100, they’ll score 100. They’ll score in transition and use a litany of dribble hand-offs and pick-and-rolls to get to the cup and open up shooters on the perimeter.
When the first shot fails, Iowa State will grab the board and politely stuff the ball into the basket. Eastern Illinois is a horrible defensive rebounding team and can't consistently stop transition or ball-screen action.
And the rim battle will be a blood bath: per CBB Analytics, Iowa State ranks 18th nationally in field goal percentage at the rim while Eastern Illinois ranks 363rd in field goal percentage allowed at the rim (third-worst in the country).
Eastern Illinois runs Marty Simmons’ motion offense, an attack that features a ton of screening, both on and off the ball. That attack hasn't been good this year, ranking 346th nationally in KenPom’s offensive metrics.
The Panthers will settle for a ton of mid-range jumpers. They’ll get no second chances, and they have very little outside shooting.
Even getting a shot up will be a challenge, as they rank 299th nationally in turnover rate, while the Clones and their demon on-ball defenders turn opponents over at the second-highest rate in the nation.
The Panthers’ goal on Sunday will be to keep this game in the half-court and suck the life out of the basketball to limit possessions.
In their three games against power competition, they’ve succeeded in doing that once, against Notre Dame. Eastern Illinois lost to the Irish by 20, covering the spread, but got smoked by Kentucky (36) and Purdue (47).
It would be surprising to see Sunday's game finish with a sub-40 margin.
My Pick: Iowa State -41.5
