Iowa State vs. Missouri prediction and odds for Saturday, January 28 (Expect a flurry of points)

The Big 12/SEC Challenge is a nice little break from conference play, but it’s also giving us an interesting contrast of styles. The No. 12 Iowa State Cyclones are one of the best defensive teams in the country, and the Missouri Tigers excel on the offensive end of the court.

Iowa State is 15-4 and on Tuesday, they knocked off No. 5 Kansas State at home 80-76. That was their biggest win of the year, so far. Missouri is 15-5 and coming off a win over Ole Miss, but their last ranked opponent, No. 2 Alabama, beat them 85-64.

Here are the odds for Iowa State and Missouri:

Iowa State vs. Missouri odds, spread and total

Iowa State vs. Missouri prediction and pick

The Cyclones are No. 9 in scoring defense, allowing 59.5 points a game and are sixth in defense efficiency. On the other side, Mizzou is No. 10 in scoring offense, scoring 83.4 points a night and are ninth in offensive efficiency. Not only are they opposites in terms of what they’re good at, but they’re opposites in terms of their pace of play. Iowa State is 282nd in possessions per game and Missouri is 28th.

So, which style will win out in a game that has such a close spread. Iowa State showed that they can score with a team like Kansas State and win a game in the 80s if they need to. Jaren Holmes and Gabe Kalscheur led the way in that win with 23 and 19 respectively. Iowa State got that big win, but they’re 2-2 in their last four games.

I expect Iowa State to adjust to Missouri’s fast pace of play and they might even beat the Tigers at their own game. Mizzou is 333rd in defense, so this turn into a high scoring affair.