#6 Iowa State vs. #2 Arizona Picks and Predictions: Big 12 Hoops
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Mon Mar 02, 2026, 1:40 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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The Arizona Wildcats have successfully clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title, but they can officially lock up the whole thing and the top seed in the conference tournament with a win tonight at home. It won't be a cake walk, as the No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones come to town, looking to improve their seeding. As it currently stands, the Cyclones would finish fifth in the Big 12 based on tiebreakers, meaning they would only earn a single bye and have to play an extra game in the Big 12 tournament compared to the top four finishers. This game has plenty of implications for both teams involved, and I expect quite the showdown. Let's get into our favorite picks and see how this one might play out on the court.
Best Bet: Arizona Team Total Over 78.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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#6 Iowa State Cyclones vs. #2 Arizona Wildcats NCAA Basketball Insights
Iowa State might need Milan Momcilovic to have a career night if they want to keep up in Arizona
Arizona has only lost twice this year: to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, and to Texas Tech in overtime at home, and that loss to the Red Raiders looks even better after they took down the Cyclones in Ames on Saturday. Perhaps TJ Otzelberger's team was looking ahead to this battle in the desert, but regardless, the two teams will bring their all tonight.
Iowa State is tied with Kansas in conference seeding, and currently owns the tiebreaker since they split head to head meetings. However, if the Cyclones win out (including beating Arizona tonight), they would jump the Jayhawks based on record against the top seeded Wildcats (1-0 is better than 1-1 in terms of winning percentage). That should be at the forefront of this Iowa State team's mind throughout this contest tonight.
Matchup Information – Iowa State vs. Arizona – March 2
- Venue & Location: McKale Center (Tucson, AZ)
- Date: Monday, March 2, 2026
- Kick Off: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Iowa State vs. Arizona Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of March 2, 2026 at 1:32 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Iowa State +7 (-106)
- Arizona -7 (-114)
Moneyline
- Iowa State +255
- Arizona -330
Total
- Over 149.5 (-107)
- Under 149.5 (-113)
#6 Iowa State vs. #2 Arizona NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Koa Peat has been a stud for the Wildcats in his freshman season
Iowa State vs. Arizona Prediction: Arizona Wins, Iowa State Covers, Over 147.5
Best Bet: Arizona Team Total Over 78.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Ultimately, we are going to see a fast paced game. Arizona slows down for nobody. They just put up 84 points against a very good Kansas defense on just 69 possessions. This team is efficient, they get to the free throw line, and even though they don't take very many threes, they suffocate you on defense.
But Iowa State has no problem playing fast, and they do have plenty of scoring options. I think this is going to lead to plenty of chances for both teams to score, which is why I am booking this team total over. The Wildcats rank top 10 in the nation in scoring, putting up 87.1 points per game. At home, they put up over 90. Sure, Iowa State is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, but that's been proven to not matter at all when facing this Wildcats team in the desert.
They put up 84 on Saturday on 69 possessions and 87 on just 65 trips up and down the floor against Baylor. There are so many scoring options for this Arizona team, that has had seven different leading scorers this season. They have five guys averaging at least double figures per game, as well as Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell'Orso putting at least nine, both of whom have gone for 20+ at times this year. There's simply too many potential scorers to keep track of, and I believe they will show out offensively tonight at home against the Cyclones, wrapping up an individual Big 12 regular season title.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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