Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction & Match Preview - December 18, 2020 | NCAA Men's Basketball

Match Details

Fixture: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Iowa State Cyclones - NCAA Men's Basketball

Date & Time: Friday, December 18, 2020, 9PM ET

Venue: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia

The No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers will open up their Big 12 schedule against the struggling Iowa State Cyclones on Friday. The Mountaineers have had a strong start to their season, suffering their only loss to the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Jimmy V Classic earlier this month. Iowa State, winless in their last three games, will have their hands full with a very talented Mountaineers offense.

Iowa State Cyclones Preview

Iowa State v Auburn

The Iowa State Cyclones have been unable to get their season on track thus far. Carrying a 1-3 overall record into Friday, head coach Steve Prohm and his Cyclones will need to bring their best gameplan to the arena if they want to compete with this strong West Virginia Mountaineers team. The Cyclones lost their first conference matchup to the Kansas State Wildcats and currently rest at the bottom of the Big 12 standings.

Key Player - Rasir Bolton

Rasir Bolton has been the Iowa State Cyclones' most consistent threat on offense this season. Bolton is leading his team in points, assists, rebounds, steals, and FG%, and he has shown no signs of slowing down.

Rasir Bolton flirted with a triple-double yesterday against UAPB.1️⃣6️⃣ points7️⃣ rebounds7️⃣ assists (career-high)Bolton led a Cyclone attack that had 21 assists and just 10 turnovers.#Cyclones | 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/1b4zXlI72l

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) November 30, 2020

Rasir Bolton will need to have his biggest game of the season against the West Virginia Mountaineers, offensively and defensively. The Cyclones appear to be outmatched in this game, but a huge performance from Bolton could keep the game within reach.

Iowa State Cyclones Predicted Lineup

Javan Johnson, Solomon Young, Darlinstone Dubar, Rasir Bolton, Jalen Coleman-Lands

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West Virginia Mountaineers Preview

Jimmy V Classic

The West Virginia Mountaineers have played solid basketball in each of their first seven games, most recently defeating the No. 19 Richmond Spiders. Quite honestly, the Mountaineers' most impressive game of the season thus far was their only loss. Containing the Gonzaga Bulldogs is no small task, and the Mountaineers took them down to the wire in a game that ended 87-82.

Key Player - Miles McBride

The West Virginia Mountaineers' key to victory has been Miles McBride this year, and he will be back in the spotlight on Friday night. McBride has been dominant on both ends of the floor, leading the Mountaineers in points, assists, and steals.

26 seconds of Miles McBride defense... Enjoy pic.twitter.com/DhPLyu2uyN

— Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) December 7, 2020

The sophomore guard has averaged over 32 minutes per game and is second on his team in 3-point shooting (43%). Defensively, McBride has locked down nearly every player he's guarded.

West Virginia Mountaineers Predicted Lineup

Oscar Tshiebwe, Emmitt Matthews Jr., Derek Culver, Sean McNeil, Miles McBride

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Iowa State vs. West Virginia Prediction

The Mountaineers look to extend their win streak on Friday to three and should handle the struggling Iowa State Cyclones easily. West Virginia should control the pace of the game, get an early lead, and run with it.

How to watch Iowa State vs. West Virginia

The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.