Iowa State Basketball Vs Texas Tech Prediction, 3 Keys To The Game

It’s truly amazing how fast the regular season moves in college basketball.

Iowa State basketball is preparing for its penultimate home game of the season and the final contest before turning the calendar to March.

The Cyclones host Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off from Hilton Coliseum is scheduled at 3 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on CBS.

No. 5 Iowa State (24-4, 11-4 Big 12 Conference) and No. 16 Texas Tech (21-7, 11-4) are part of a four-way tie for second-place of the Big 12. Houston and Kansas are the other two teams that are knotted up behind first-place Arizona.

The last time the Cyclones took the floor, they earned a 75-59 win at Utah on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The Red Raiders are coming off back-to-back double-digit wins over Kansas State and Cincinnati. They most recently beat the Bearcats, 80-68, on Feb. 24.

This is the only regular-season meeting between the teams this year. Here are three keys to the game:

Texas Tech adjusts after injury to star JT Toppin

Just days after posting a 31-point, 13-rebound double-double in an overtime win at Arizona on Feb. 14, Red Raider standout JT Toppin suffered a torn ACL against Arizona State on Feb. 17.

Toppin had 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals before going down with 6:03 left in an eventual 72-67 loss to the Sun Devils.

A consensus second-team All-American last season, Toppin built off of that campaign and was averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8% this year. His injury has taken away from some of the hype for this matchup, but it remains a contest between two ranked teams.

While the Red Raiders were not able to close out that game against Arizona State after Toppin went down, it has regrouped with back-to-back wins. But Saturday’s matchup will be their stiffest test since the injury occurred.

Texas Tech still has talented contributors on its roster. Christian Anderson, a 6-foot-3 guard, has taken a big step forward as a sophomore after primarily playing off the bench as a freshman. He had 18 points, shot 4-for-4 from deep and had two steals against the Cyclones last season.

Texas Tech sophomore Christian Anderson is averaging 19.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and a Big 12-best 7.7 assists per game. He'll be one of the Red Raiders' go-to players against Iowa State on Saturday in the absence of JT Toppin.

This year, he’s featured starter and has been more of a do-it-all player in Toppin’s absence. He recently had 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the latest win over Cincinnati. He is averaging 19.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and a Big 12-best 7.7 assists per game, which ranks third nationally.

UNC-Greensboro transfer Donovan Atwell has been a consistent scorer and 3-point threat this year. He is averaging 13.0 points and shooting 45.6% from deep. Atwell has made three or more 3-pointers in each of the last 10 games.

Washington State transfer LeJuan Watts, who was the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, has had an up-and-down season, but he’s stepped up over the last couple of games in Toppin’s absence. He is averaging 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and is coming off solid performances against Cincinnati and Kansas State.

Forward Luke Bamgboye was promoted to the starting lineup after Toppin’s injury. He is a 6-foot-11 rim protector that’s had three or more blocks in four of his last six appearances.

Iowa State’s ability to defend, rebound

Even without Toppin, it appears Texas Tech has been able to adapt offensively. Anderson continues to be a dynamic lead guard, but overall, the Red Raiders have toatled180 points over their last two games, even without their 6-foot-9 star.

In each of those wins, over Kansas State and Cincinnati, the Red Raiders shot 51% or better from the floor. They also shot 40% or higher from beyond the arc, with 10 or more made 3-pointers.

During that two-game stretch, they also outrebounded both opponents by double-digit margins.

A Toppin-less Texas Tech team should not be taken lightly.

Iowa State will need to win on the boards, an area it fell short in its marquee matchup at BYU. The Red Raiders are a solid rebounding team on both ends, and the Cyclones can’t afford to give away extra possessions or momentum-boosting plays.

Defensively, the Cyclones need to be disruptive and force turnovers. Texas Tech does a good job of taking care of the ball, with a turnover rate of 15.4% (83rd-best in the country). However, Anderson has stretches where he can be careless with the ball, like a six-turnover outing against Cincinnati or his seven giveaways in the Feb. 17 loss to Arizona State.

Texas Tech had 13 or more turnovers in three of its four Big 12 losses. Houston, UCF and Arizona State all made sure to make the Red Raiders pay by turning those opportunities into points the other way. Iowa State needs to channel a similar effort.

The quest for an undefeated run at Hilton Coliseum

You can never look too far ahead, but on paper, Texas Tech appears to be Iowa State’s last big hurdle at home this season.

The Cyclones host Arizona State in the regular-season finale and final home game of the year.

Iowa State holds a 15-0 record at Hilton Coliseum this season. If the Cyclones can get past the Red Raiders, they should have a favorable path to finishing 17-0 in Ames.

If Iowa State can do it, it’ll be its second time in three seasons going undefeated at home.