WHAT: No. 19 Iowa State (19-7, 8-5) at TCU (17-8, 5-8)
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN2
Chris Williams: After previous losses, I’ve been the guy on here anticipating bounce back wins. Not today. The TCU and Baylor losses have left me flabbergasted with this basketball team. Iowa State is better than TCU. Iowa State has proven to be a better team on the road this year. But they were physically man-handled on Wednesday night. Watching it back a second time was even worse. How will Iowa State respond? Your guess is as good as mine. I am a hunch less confident about this team today than I was a week ago.
TCU 72, Iowa State 70
Jared Stansbury: The biggest thing for Iowa State in this game will be forcing Alex Robinson to be a scorer and not a facilitator. Getting Noi back will be huge for the Horned Frogs as his ability to knock down shots unlocks their abilities as an offense. At the end of the day, it will come down to how well the Cyclones shoot the ball and I feel like they’ll shoot the ball well. This one will be tight all the way through but the ‘Clones continue their success on the road.
Iowa State 81, TCU 77
Brent Blum: As Stanz noted, TCU goes as Robinson and Noi do. The Cyclones were rightfully embarrassed on Tuesday night and have done a great job this season of responding when down. Cyclones are going to need 15+ out of Wigginton and I think they get it. Still so much talent on this team and it wins out.
Iowa State 78, TCU 74
Kirk Haaland: Iowa State has been playing much better on the road, especially offensively while riding the roller coaster in Hilton Coliseum. That would seemingly be a positive headed into a game at TCU but the last time these two teams played just two weeks ago, the Cyclones were dreadful on defense, inconsistent on offense, and lackluster in general. This is still a talented team with things to achieve on the table, but… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
*Note that I don’t believe in superstitions but my prediction record this season is awful, so I’ll try to be awful again.
Iowa State 79, TCU 83
Rob Gray: Of course, Kouat Noi will return for the Horned Frogs — who are reeling since dominating ISU in Hilton two weeks ago. These Cyclones are different on the road, though. No complacency. No hesitation. Aggressive and dangerous. I expect the same Saturday in Fort Worth. ISU’s shot makers perform well and Noi (along with the rest of his comrades) don’t play a perfect game this time around.
Iowa State 83, TCU 80
Kevin Fitzpatrick: Road game? Check. Opponent Iowa State has already lost to? Check. Coming off a disappointing game? Check. Those are three key ingredients to get the Iowa State “Focus Town” A-Team to show up and I think they make sure to once again avoid back-to-back losses. It may not always be pretty, but they should get the job done.
Iowa State 76, TCU 69.
