Winners of 18 out of their last 19 games, No. 5 Houston basketball looks to get a big victory, taking on No. 8 Iowa State in a critical top 10 showdown on Saturday afternoon. Keep reading for the Houston vs Iowa State prediction.
College GameDay
This is a special game for the University of Houston as ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to the Fertitta Center for the second time in program history. The last time was 2019 vs UCF during the inaugural season of the arena.
“They’re coming because the basketball program has had great success, and we’ve been really good this year,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “It’s always a compliment if ESPN wants to come to your campus, it’s a tremendous infomercial with everything associated with the basketball program.”
Cougars fans look to make their impact during the early morning pre-game show and carry that into this marquee matchup in Houston.
“We’re excited to be here. A high-level game, two really good teams, two games with great coaches and identities, really mirror each other in a lot of ways, both built on toughness,” GameDay analyst Seth Greenberg said.
Game information:
Teams: Houston (22-4, 14-1 Big 12) and Iowa State (21-5, 11-4)
Tip-off: 1 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPN
Listen: KPRC 950, Westwood one
“It’s an honor to come here and this is a really cool place to visit, knowing the history here,” GameDay analyst and former legendary Duke point guard Jay Williams said. “There’s a high level of basketball being played here and I’m glad we get a chance to showcase that.”
Latest on Iowa State basketball:
The Cyclones are currently third in the Big 12 standings, tied with Texas Tech. This is a critical game for Iowa State’s chances of still winning the regular season conference title. Iowa State is currently on a four game win streak after consecutive losses.
“It’s not your system, it’s how hard you compete and that’s what makes Iowa State special. This is one of the top three or four teams in America. They got tough dudes,” Sampson said.
Most recently, the Cyclones beat Colorado at home 79-65 where five players scored in double digits. Junior forward Joshua Jefferson and junior guard Tamin Lipsey each scored 12 points along with senior guard Keshon Gilbert who had a team high five assists and three steals.
Senior guard Curtis Jones leads Iowa State with 17.2 PPG, and Gilbert is second with 14.1 PPG. Jefferson averages 12.8 PPG, but tops the Cyclones with 7.9 RPG.
“One of the things that makes them unique is that their best scorer comes off the bench in Curtis, he’s a guy that can lead the nation in scoring. That just speaks volumes to how talented they are,” Sampson said.
Unfortunately for the Cyclones, Jones will be out with an illness alongside Gilbert with a muscle strain, which is a huge loss as these are the top two scorers on Iowa State this season and Gilbert is the leader in assists.
Lipsey will have a big role in this game, and currently averages 10.5 PPG with a team high 2.1 steals per game.
“Tamin Lipsey is the ultimate point guard defender and facilitator,” Sampson said.
Sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic, who averages just over 10 points per game will also need to step up.
Cyclones head coach TJ Otzelberger, now in his 4th season in Aimes, has done a great job and is currently 2-1 vs Houston and head coach Kelvin Sampson.
“TJ has been masterful in his roster management,” Sampson said.
This is the only regular season game between the Cyclones and Cougars this year. Iowa State currently has the 5-4 lead in all time, and has won four of the last five meetings. In the last matchup, the Cyclones beat the Cougars in the Big 12 tournament championship 69-41. However, Houston leads the series at home 2-1, including winning the last matchup in Fertitta Center just about a year ago, 73-65.
Latest on Houston basketball:
The no. 5 Cougars are coming off another dominant road win, this one 80-65 over Arizona State on Tuesday in a complete performance. The victory gave Houston the longest Big 12 road winning streak in conference history at 12 games so far.
Graduate guard LJ Cryer put up a team high 18 points, and junior guard Emanuel Sharp got back on track with 17 points and four triples. Cryer currently leads UH with 14.5 PPG and leads the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 40.8%.
Junior point guard Milos Uzan has been a standout for Houston lately as he leads the Cougars and Big 12 with his 4.38 assist-turnover ratio. That mark is second nationally.
“His assist-turnover ratio the last five games is insane,” Williams said.
Uzan has dished out 27 assists and only given up two turnovers in those last five games. The Oklahoma transfer is the only division one athlete with multiple 5+ game streaks with 25+ assists and two or fewer turnovers. Uzan has been a big key for Houston with his confidence in running the offense and contributing defensively.
“What Kelvin has been able to do is incredible, the consistency, the ability to retain players, is really impressive,” Greenberg said. “He took a worn-out program that lost its identity and tradition & he’s built a model program of consistency, hard work and accountability, it’s remarkable.”
This is a big chance for Houston to show their winning brand on national TV with college GameDay focusing on the Cougars. If UH is able to win, their 2nd straight Big 12 regular season title is getting close to reality.
“His (Sampson’s) sustained excellence over this time period, that needs to be appreciated & rewarded,” Williams said.
Houston vs Iowa State Prediction: Cougars by 8
This is a top 10 matchup that can go either way, but with the key Iowa State injuries of Jones and Gilbert, along with what will be a packed arena with very high energy as College GameDay is in the house, Houston continues their success at home while playing some of their best basketball.
[…] #2: Iowa State got comfortable and made it […]