Iowa State Cyclones at Houston Cougars Same Game Parlay Picks

A heavyweight showdown is set for Saturday afternoon at the Fertitta Center in Houston, as the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones and No. 5 Houston Cougars clash in their lone regular-season Big 12 matchup. T.J. Otzelberger’s squad extended its winning streak to four with a routine home victory over Colorado Tuesday night, but did fail to cover the closing number. Meanwhile, Kelvin Sampson’s team handled business for CBB bettors that same night, securing a 15-point road win over Arizona State to notch its fifth straight victory and improve to 22-4 overall.

Since becoming Big 12 rivals back in 2023, it’s been Iowa State that’s held the advantage winning two of the three overall matchups while going 2-0-1 against the closing college basketball betting odds. Houston scored the 73-65 win when hosting the Cyclones in the only regular season dustup, but ISU got the last laugh thumping the Coogs 69-41 in the Big 12 Tournament title game as what proved to be laughable 5.5-point underdogs. Caesars Sportsbook will have Houston installed double-digit home favorites for this grudge match with the total set in the low-130s.

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Iowa State Cyclones

The Cyclones look to have recovered from their early February swoon which saw the team lose three straight to Arizona and both Kansas schools. Since then, Curtis Jones and his mates have rattled off four straight wins against TCU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Colorado all as decided favorites (2-2 ATS) to move to 21-5 for the season. After getting out to a commanding 45-28 halftime lead against the Buffs, ISU coasted over the game’s final 20 minutes to secure the 79-65 triumph much to the chagrin of those that laid the 18.5-points.

The Cyclones connected on 10 of 21 three-pointers (47.6%), tying their second-best shooting performance of the season. Six different players contributed with at least one make from deep. Five players registered double-digits in scoring with Milan Momcilovic and Dishon Jackson each going for a team-high 13. The Clones forced 14 turnovers and scored 18 points off them the other way.

Houston Cougars

There was no letdown for LJ Cryer and co. on Tuesday night coming off the huge win at Arizona over the weekend. Houston cruised through the second leg of its desert trip, establishing a 16-point halftime lead and extending it to 23 before ultimately finishing off the Sun Devils 80-65 to cover the closing 12-point CBB spread. Houston limited Arizona State to a 3-for-12 showing from beyond the arc, and scored 15 points off the seven turnovers the defense forced.

With the win, the Cougars have come out on top in 18 of their last 19 games and hold the nation’s longest active road winning streak at 12. Cryer led the way in the scoring department (18) on 6-of-13 shooting, while J’Wan Roberts continued to be an intimidating presence down low scoring 10 points, reeling in six boards, and blocking a pair of shots. 

Same Game Parlay Picks

In the three run-ins these teams have had with one another dating back a few years, the average combined score comes in at 128.8. A similar impost is expected Saturday considering each team comes highly respected by the Pomeroy Ratings at the defensive end of the court. In terms of adjusted defensive efficiency, Iowa State clocks in as KenPom’s ninth ranked unit while Houston chimes in at No. 2. Though both squads have combined for a middling mark to the O/U overall, I can’t help but think points will be held to a premium in this matchup of Big 12 heavyweights.

With that, I’ll be taking what I expect to be a double-digit helping of points as well with the belief that both defenses make it incredibly tough for either squad to score points with regularity. While the Cougars excelled prowess from beyond the arc is a concern (#7) and the Cyclones best defensive work is done closer to the rim (#40), I’ll gamble on the home team being unable to go off from downtown in this pivotal matchup. ISU has the rebounders to compete on the glass, and does an excellent job of not sending the opposition to the charity stripe (#35). On the flipside, Houston has shown a knack for sending its opponents to the line (#247), so fingers crossed the refs don’t play to the crowd and serve up a heavy dose of home cooking.

Iowa State vs. Houston Same Game Parlay Picks: Iowa State/Under (+264)