The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Iowa State is favored by 16.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2800. The total is set at 140.5 points.
Here’s my West Virginia vs. Iowa State prediction and college basketball picks for January 2, 2026.
West Virginia vs Iowa State Prediction
My Pick: West Virginia +16.5 (Play to +15.5)
My West Virginia vs Iowa State best bet is on the Mountaineers 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.
West Virginia vs. Iowa State Odds
| West Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16.5 -110 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | +1300 |
| Iowa State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16.5 -110 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | -2800 |
- West Virginia vs Iowa State spread: Iowa State -16.5
- West Virginia vs Iowa State over/under: 140.5 points
- West Virginia vs Iowa State moneyline: West Virginia +1300, Iowa State -2800
West Virginia vs Iowa State College Basketball Betting Preview
West Virginia Basketball
The 9-4 West Virginia Mountaineers will look to get their best win of the season as they travel to Hilton Coliseum. Their four losses have all been away from Morgantown.
They have a ton of depth, coming in fourth in terms of Division I experience. Their experience hasn't necessarily translated, especially since none of their nine wins have been against quality opponents.
Their best wins have been against the 90th-ranked (on KenPom) Pitt Panthers and 220th-rated Campbell Camels. West Virginia doesn’t own a single other win against anyone power-rated higher than 296.
Treysen Eaglestaff hasn’t been the transfer they expected, and he's not one of West Virginia's three double-digit scorers.
Iowa State ranks in the top third of college basketball in average height while the visiting Mountaineers rank in the bottom half in the same category.
Iowa State Basketball
Outside of two games against St. John’s and its biggest rival in Iowa, Iowa State has won every game by a minimum of 15 points. It still sits undefeated and is the third-ranked team in the nation.
The No. 3 ranking is also true in most of the power rankings that I've seen.
The Clones' biggest strength has to be their experience, as they rank 16th in the nation in that category.
Freshman guard Killyan Toure is the only underclassman who starts. Their other four starters are all juniors and seniors. Four of their five starters average double digits, and they put up 90.4 points per game as a team.
Their undefeated record is impressive, but only three games have been against teams power-rated higher than number 82.
Iowa State plays an up-tempo brand of basketball, something that will surely clash with West Virginia, which ranks 352nd in adjusted tempo compared to 94th for Iowa State.
West Virginia vs. Iowa State Betting Analysis
In looking at this game, I might be on an island. But I really can’t lay this many points. A lot of the metrics here will favor Iowa State, but I'll play the contrarian angle.
If the Mountaineers can find a way to control the pace of the game and play their slow tempo, they might have a way to keep this game a lot closer than expected.
They also do a really good job of hitting the 3, so I don’t expect the Cyclones to hold that large of an advantage.
If they can get enough to fall, this spread is just too large.
My Pick: West Virginia +16.5 (Play to +15.5)
