When healthy, TCU looked like one of the best teams in the country, a transition-oriented offense that is fueled by its imposing defense.
However, the Horned Frogs have been down two key contributors of late, namely lead guard Mike Miles. Big man Eddie Lampkin has also been in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury, but Miles is the engine to this team and it’s been clear with their recent results.
TCU has dropped three of four since losing Miles to a hyperextended knee injury on Jan. 28 and it sounds like he’ll miss this one as well as the team tries to even the season series with Iowa State on the road after losing in Fort Worth by two on Jan. 7.
Before we break this down, let’s check out the odds:
TCU vs. Iowa State odds, spread and total
TCU vs. Iowa State prediction and pick
It appeared that Miles was on his way back from injury, but the star guard debunked any thought that he’ll be back on Wednesday:
The Horned Frogs are a scary team at full strength, but it looks like they’ll be without Miles, Lampkin and possibly Damion Baugh too. Now they have to go to Ames and get a win against an Iowa State team that is coming off their first home loss of the season to Oklahoma State.
I do believe that Iowa State’s ability to pressure the ball is going to be the difference in this one. The team turned over the Horned Frogs 18 times in the first meeting and there is no better team in the country at generating turnovers than the Cyclones, who lead the nation in that metric.
Iowa State’s ability to turn the Horned Frogs over and keep them off the glass is going to be pivotal in this one (ISU is the best defensive rebounding team in Big 12 play). After dropping to -3.5, the Cyclones are back up around the opener of -5 and I believe they are going to overwhelm the short handed Horned Frogs on Wednesday as the team waits for Miles to return.
Track all of Reed’s bets at Betstamp HERE!
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
