Cyclones have fourth best odds to win 2019 Big 12 Tournament

Mar 9, 2019; Ames, IA, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones bench celebrates during their game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa State finished fifth in the final Big 12 regular season standings, but the folks in the desert give the Cyclones the fourth-best odds of leaving Kansas City as Big 12 Tournament champions.

According to Caesar Sports, Iowa State has +600 (or bet $100 to win $600) odds of running the table at the Sprint Center. Unsurprisingly, Big 12 co-champion Texas Tech is the favorite at +150.

Kansas State and Kansas are the two teams between Tech and the Cyclones at +350 and +500, respectively. The initial odds released on Saturday were altered on Sunday following the announcement that Kansas State’s first-team All-Big 12 forward Dean Wade is questionable for the tournament after feeling discomfort in his previously injured foot.

Baylor, Iowa State’s quarterfinal opponent at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, and Texas are right behind the Cyclones at +800 odds, followed by Oklahoma and TCU at +2000. The field is rounded out by Big 12 bottom-dwellers Oklahoma State and West Virginia with each team’s odds set at +20000.

As of now, Iowa State is pegged to win Thursday’s matchup with the Bears 74-71 by KenPom. The Cyclones are 3-1 all-time against the Bears in the Big 12 Tournament, including a 74-65 win in the 2014 title game, which started the program’s run of three Big 12 Tournament championships in four years.

The lone loss to the Bears in conference tournament play came in 2001 after the Cyclones had clinched their second-straight Big 12 regular season title. Iowa State enters Thursday’s game with a 17-18 all-time record in Big 12 Tournament play with 10 of those wins coming in the last six seasons.

Jared Stansbury

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Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

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