Can Houston Maintain Unbeaten Record? Iowa State Cyclones vs Houston Cougars Match Preview – Players to Watch, Head to Head, and Prediction

The Iowa State Cyclones will lock horns with the Houston Cougars at the Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday. While the Cyclones will enter this game with an 11-3 tally, the Cougars have an undefeated 14-0 record coming into this game.

The Cougars are ranked at the second spot in the AP Polls and it will be interesting to see if they can continue their on-song performances.

Players to Watch

For the Iowa State, the player to attract all eyeballs will be their guard Tamin Lipsey. Lipsey has basketed a decent 14.7 points per game and stands at the top in his college’s points tally.

He has been phenomenal with his rebounds and assists, nabbing 5.9 rebounds per match and supporting with 6 assists per contest. Another delightful thing about him is that he leads in all four departments of points average, steals average, assists average, and rebounds average.

For the Cougars, their most important player has been their guard L.J. Cryer. Cryer leads the points tally in his team’s stats with 17.1 points per game. He has played the alpha for his team all this while and has been dependable in most of the games.

Most recently he throttled a remarkable 20 points against the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Cougars would be looking to utilize his skills to the fullest and he will be at the center of their plans.

Another player to keep an eye on is the Cougars guard Jamal Shead. Shead has assisted his team quite well. He stands atop the assists average with 6.2 assists per game and also has marked his dominance with 2.4 steals per contest.

Read More: With Kansas Stumbling Out, Can Purdue Maintain Number 1 NCAA Status?

In his most recent against the West Virginia he provided his team with 11 assists. Thus, if the Cyclones are to win this then they will have to devise a comprehensive strategy to control Shead.

Head to Head

As per the official Iowa State website, the Cyclones will be clashing with the Cougars for the seventh time. However, it will be their first meeting as Big 12 opponents. The Iowa State has the advantage of 2-1 over the Cougars in Ames. Their last match was in 2010 when the Iowa State won 82-75 against the Cougars in overtime. Overall, the Cougars won three games and lost three against the Iowa State. So going by their history this will be an equally poised contest.

Prediction

The Cougars will try to continue their unbeaten run in the NCAA tournament while this is a great opportunity for the Iowa State to notch up their past record in their favor by defeating the Cougars.

The Cougars have won every game which is a little difficult in basketball and hence critics are also keen to witness the team that will push the breaks in the Houston’s campaign. The game can go either way but going by the Houston’s indomitable performance this season, the Cougars can surely win this match. 

Watch This Story: Sending Shockwaves in The Basketball World, Know 18YO MiLaysia Fulwiley’s Story