SOUTHERN JAGUARS @ ISU

A demanding early road swing for Southern

Southern arrives in Ames for its fourth game in nine days on an early-season road trip.

Iowa State showed it can control the interior

Against Southern Miss, the Cyclones held a 42–20 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 37–23. Otzelberger said ISU had been getting sealed at the rim by opponents’ bigs.

Ball security remains a Jaguars concern

Southern committed 19 turnovers in its 75–68 loss at Drake, and Iowa State says it has emphasized guarding the ball after being exposed.

Toure reportedly unavailable for the Cyclones

The latest injury listing reports Iowa State guard Killyan Toure out with a shoulder injury and provides no return timeline.

Pick Ideas

Angles drawn from the matchup analysis above and refreshed as the news changes. They are a separate read from the LineCrush pick for this matchup, so the two can land on different sides.

Total: lean Over 147.5

Southern’s first three games included two combined scores above 147.5. The over depends on Iowa State converting at home; Otzelberger says ISU wants to drive through contact and get to the rim, but it is not a high-confidence play.

Spread: be cautious at Iowa State -32.5

At -32.5, Iowa State must win by at least 33, so consider passing rather than paying for such a large margin.