The Iowa State Cyclones take on the Creighton Bluejays in Paradise, NV, in the Players Era Festival. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on truTV.
Iowa State is favored by -9.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -525. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Iowa State vs. Creighton prediction and college basketball picks for November 25, 2025.
Iowa State vs Creighton Prediction
My Pick: Iowa State -9.5 (Play to -10.5)
My Iowa State vs Creighton best bet is on the Cyclones covering the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Iowa State vs. Creighton Odds
| Iowa State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | -525 |
| Creighton Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | +390 |
- Iowa State vs Creighton spread: Iowa State -9.5
- Iowa State vs Creighton over/under: 150.5 points
- Iowa State vs Creighton moneyline: Iowa State -525, Creighton +390
Iowa State vs Creighton College Basketball Betting Preview
Iowa State Basketball
T.J. Otzelberger is the conductor of an absolute covering train in Ames. The Cyclones are one of 19 teams that are unbeaten ATS so far.
Iowa State is once again one of the elite defensive teams in America. The Cyclones' no-middle defensive scheme leads to teams turning the ball over a ton. In fact, Iowa State boasts the top defensive turnover rate (28.4) in the sport.
The Cyclones' lone high-major opponent this year was Mississippi State, and the Cyclones forced 26 Bulldogs turnovers. If that happens here, Iowa State will cruise to a double-digit margin win.
While a lot of Iowa State’s offense comes via the turnover, I'd urge you to give its half-court offense some respect. The trio of Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic is outstanding.
Lipsey has taken on a larger scoring role this year with Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones moving on. The Ames, IA native leads the Cyclones with 19 points, 5.3 assists and just for good measure, adds 3.8 steals per game.
Jefferson is the type of player every coach covets. At 6-foot-9, 240 pounds, Jefferson averages 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and almost five assists a night. Shooting is the only question mark in his game.
In general, that’s my concern for Iowa State long-term. Jefferson is a low-volume shooter, Lipsey is a better driver than shooter, Blake Buchanan can’t shoot and freshman Killyan Toure is 3-for-9 from 3 so far.
The opposing team can exploit that issue only if it can limit its own turnovers and make Iowa State play a half-court game.
Creighton Basketball
I’m not very sold that Creighton can hold onto the ball versus the Cyclones' suffocating pressure.
Creighton will need some duct tape to keep the team healthy after more injuries piled up in the Baylor game.
Jackson McAndrew, a starting forward, is done for the season. Two minor injuries popped up on Monday, as freshman Hudson Greer came up lame a few times and Blake Harper appeared to turn his ankle.
I’m sure both end up playing, but we'll see at what level once the adrenaline wears off.
We'll see what Creighton does with Owen Freeman moving forward. Greg McDermott clearly wasn't happy with his defense in the first half, leading to him not playing in the second half.
Freeman can be the go-to scorer for Creighton, but it played better with him on the bench. However, the lack of size led to Baylor grabbing 17 offensive boards in the second half.
McDermott has to gauge what matters more: Is he willing to bench an offensive weapon by improving his overall team defense? He might be.
In this matchup, Freeman probably won't play much. He's not fit enough to run with Iowa State, and interior players rarely go off against the Cyclones. The former Iowa big man also got destroyed in drop coverage, and Lipsey destroys opposing bigs in those situations with his feathery mid-range shot.
Creighton turned the ball over 13 times in the loss to Baylor and shot 11-of-29 (38%) from deep. Both are encouraging signs, as the Bluejays entered the game shooting 27% from deep and sporting an 18% turnover rate.
I hoped to see Josh Dix and Nik Graves shoot it better in the Baylor game. However, Graves went 2-for-7 from deep and Dix went 1-for-5. If Creighton wants a real shot at covering against Iowa State, that pair has to impact the game with their shooting.
Iowa State vs. Creighton Betting Analysis
Iowa State has all the ingredients to hammer an undermanned Creighton squad.
The Bluejays' shooting is a real problem, and their rim-protection and rebounding are even bigger issues.
Plus, Creighton could give Iowa State plenty of easy buckets if it falls victim to the relentless Cyclones pressure.
My Pick: Iowa State -9.5 (Play to -10.5)
