No. 3 Iowa State Faces Arizona in High-Stakes Big 12 Showdown

TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones clashed with the Arizona Wildcats in a pivotal Big 12 conference matchup Monday night at the McKale Memorial Center. The game, which tipped off at 10:30 p.m. ET, marked Iowa State’s first visit to Tucson since 1990 and showcased two teams vying for supremacy in their new conference.

Arizona, transitioning from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 this season, entered the game with a 13-6 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play. The Wildcats were riding a seven-game home winning streak and coming off a 78-63 victory over Colorado. Meanwhile, Iowa State, boasting a 17-2 overall record and a 7-1 conference standing, aimed to continue its strong season after a 76-61 win over Arizona State.

The game was broadcast on ESPN, with Jon Sciambi handling play-by-play duties and Fran Fraschilla providing analysis. Arizona was favored by 2.5 points, with the over/under set at 152.5 points, according to SportsLine consensus odds.

Both teams entered the matchup with Sweet 16 appearances in last year’s NCAA tournament. Arizona, led by head coach Tommy Lloyd, has rebounded from a sluggish 4-5 start to the season, while Iowa State, under T.J. Otzelberger, has its sights set on surpassing last year’s 29-win campaign.

Key players to watch included Arizona’s standout performer, who scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win over Colorado, and Iowa State’s dynamic duo, one of whom dropped 33 points in their recent victory over Arizona State.

SportsLine’s predictive model, which simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times, projected the total points to fall under 152.5, with an average of 151 points. The model also indicated that one side of the spread would hit over 50% of the time.

Fans could follow the action online or engage in live discussions on social media platforms, including Twitter (X), where updates were provided by the game’s broadcast team and sports analysts.