Kentucky Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Preview and prediction
By Adam Spencer
Published:
March Madness is where legends are born, and Kentucky is already busy writing a script straight out of Hollywood. Coming off an absurd 89-84 overtime survival against Santa Clara in the opening round, Mark Pope’s squad looks to bring more drama into the Round of 32.
The Wildcats are slated to face Iowa State, who just dismantled Tennessee State 108-74. Tipoff is slated for Sunday, March 22, at approximately 2:45 p.m. ET on CBS, broadcasting live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Kentucky survived thanks to Otega Oweh’s jaw-dropping, near half-court buzzer-beater — a 35-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist masterclass that instantly etched his name into tournament lore. Brandon Garrison looked more like Victor Wembanyama in the overtime period, swatting away 3 Santa Clara shots and grabbing 3 boards in the final 5 minutes.
However, Iowa State is dealing with its own pivotal storyline. The Cyclones lost All-American forward Joshua Jefferson to an ankle injury early in their opening game, forcing players like Killyan Toure (25 points, 11 rebounds) and Nate Heise (22 points) into larger roles.
Let’s take a look at this intriguing Round 2 matchup:
Kentucky vs. Iowa State Odds
Odds provided by BetMGM as of March 22.
Prediction for Kentucky vs. Iowa State
Kentucky is playing with house money after Oweh’s heroics, and Brandon Garrison’s elite rim protection (6 blocks in Round 1) gives the Wildcats a massive interior presence.
Meanwhile, the Cyclones have to deal with the loss of their leader. They have to replace 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Yes, Iowa State has plenty of other talent, but losing a guy like Jefferson and only having 48 hours to prepare for another game isn’t ideal.
Of course, no one is going to feel too sorry for Iowa State, especially not a Kentucky team that has dealt with injuries all year. Potential NBA Draft lottery pick Jayden Quaintance is out. Jaland Lowe is out. The Wildcats have had to make due with the other talent on their expensive roster.
In a tournament that has been (mostly) devoid of major upsets and Cinderella stories, Kentucky has all the pieces necessary to be a 7-seed that punches its ticket to the Sweet 16.
Back the Wildcats to get the job done in St. Louis.
The Pick: Kentucky to win (34 cents per contract at Kalshi)
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
