The Tennessee State Tigers play the Iowa State Cyclones in the first round of the NCAA Tournament from St. Louis, Missouri. Tip-off is set for 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS.
Iowa State is favored by 24.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -8000. Meanwhile, Tennessee State is the underdog at +24.5 with a moneyline of +2200. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my Tennessee State vs. Iowa State predictions and college basketball picks for March 20, 2026.
Tennessee State vs Iowa State Prediction
My Pick: Tennessee State +24.5
My Tennessee State vs Iowa State best bet is on the Tigers 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.
Tennessee State vs Iowa State Odds
| Tennessee State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+24.5 -110 | 148.5 -112o / -108u | +2200 |
| Iowa State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-24.5 -110 | 148.5 -112o / -108u | -8000 |
- Tennessee State vs Iowa State spread: Iowa State -24.5
- Tennessee State vs Iowa State over/under: 148.5 points
- Tennessee State moneyline: Tennessee State +2200, Iowa State -8000
Tennessee State vs Iowa State College Basketball Betting Preview
Tennessee State Basketball
Tennessee State lost just five games in conference, which culminated in a 23-9 overall record and a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers have three very able scorers in Aaron Nkrumah, Travis Harper II and Dante Harris. The former two average at least 17 points per game.
The Tigers predicate their offense on heavy guard play, which may cause an issue if the shots don’t fall early. They'll be outsized down low, which can negatively impact their offensive rebounding, an area they’ve found success in this season.
During the regular season, they ranked 50th in offensive rebounding percentage, but in any games where they were not the bigger team, they struggled on the glass.
Their biggest game this season was back in November, where they lost by 19 to in-state rival Tennessee.
Their ability to score has been their biggest selling point all season, but heading into the first round of the Big Dance, they'll lean in on head coach Nolan Smith. His championship pedigree has his guys believing.
Iowa State Basketball
It might be blasphemous to say, but the Clones have flown a bit under the radar. This team played 14 Quad 1 games, winning eight of those games. Iowa State didn't lose to any team that was in the second quadrant or worse.
The Cyclones rank 21st in offensive efficiency and fourth in defensive efficiency. Looking at the metrics, it’s hard to find a lot of fault with this team. Their weakness is they don't get to the free-throw line with high frequency.
Iowa State has a legit chance to cut down the nets. Teams than rank top-40 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to the KenPom rankings, have won the national title at about a 95% rate since 1995.
The other factor they have — which is more rare in today’s game — is that they're a very experienced team. They rank 11th in overall Division I experience coming into the season.
Led by Milan Momcilovic and company, they have three scorers who average at least 13 points per game.
Tennessee State vs. Iowa State, Pick Betting Analysis
I’m not necessarily a rah-rah guy, but I have a feeling this game can be a bit closer than expected. Smith has his guys believing they belong, as he stated winning wouldn't make them a Cinderella.
I can’t in good faith advise betting the Tigers straight up, but sitting at 24.5, that's simply way too big of a number in favor of the Clones. I think the Tigers have more than enough scoring — and play at a pretty fast pace — to be able to keep rhythm.
I'm also hoping that their offensive rebounding holds true to their regular season numbers, and they may be able to garner a few second chances.
My Pick: Tennessee State +24.5
