The No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball team will try to clinch a share of its first Big 12 regular season title in more than two decades when it hosts the No. 5 Baylor Bears in a high-stakes showdown on Monday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones (24-4, 13-3 in Big 12) have not won the regular season title since the 1999-00 season, but the winner of Monday's game will clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title and take a major step toward winning the title outright with one game remaining. Meanwhile the Bears (23-5, 13-3), who are tied with Iowa State atop the conference standings, have won at least a share of the conference title 11 straight years.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The Cyclones are three-point favorites in the latest Baylor vs. Iowa State odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 144.5. Before locking in any Iowa State vs. Baylor picks, be sure to see the women's college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine experts Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai.
Barzilai is a Ph.D. from Stanford who served as Director of Basketball Analytics for the Philadelphia 76ers. Five years ago, he founded HerHoopStats.com -- a groundbreaking website that unlocks insights about the women's game. Wetzel, the site's lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women's NCAA hoops to turn the site's prediction model into picks.
And on Sunday, Barzilai and Wetzel got off to a fast start with SportsLine, correctly picking Iowa (-2.5) to cover against Michigan in a resounding 24-point Hawkeyes victory. Currently, they are 468-342 overall (+99.97 units, +13.88 percent) in the 2021-22 women's college basketball season.
Now, they've set zeroed in on Baylor vs. Iowa State, and just locked in their picks and women's CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the women's college basketball odds and betting lines for Iowa State vs. Baylor.
- Iowa State vs. Baylor spread: Cyclones -3
- Iowa State vs. Baylor over-under: 144.5 points
- Iowa State vs. Baylor money line: Iowa State -175, Baylor +155
- ISU: The Cyclones rank second in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (39.4).
- BAY: NaLyssa Smith is the only player in the country who is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Why Iowa State can cover
The Cyclones are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. Iowa State leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the country in both 3-point field goal percentage (39.4) and 3-point field goals made per game (10.7). That bodes well against a Baylor defense that is below average defending against the 3-pointer (31.3 percent allowed), ranking 218th in the nation.
In addition, Ashley Joens is a scoring machine. The 6-foot-1 senior from Iowa City ranks third in the Big 12 and 17th in the country in points per game (20.4). On Feb. 16, she became Iowa State's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Angie Welle's previous record of 2,149 points. She enters Monday's contest with 2,230 career points.
Why Baylor can cover
NaLyssa Smith is a next-level player. Projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WBA Draft, Smith has 18 double-doubles this season, which ranks eighth in the country. She leads the Big 12 in double-doubles and rebounds per game (11.2) and ranks second in the conference in points per game (21.2) and field goal percentage (55.1).
In addition, the Bears already have blown out Iowa State this season. On Jan. 23 in Waco, Baylor made 12-of-21 3-pointers (57.1 percent) and 32-of-67 shots from the field (47.8 percent) in an 87-61 rout of the No. 7 Cyclones. It was Iowa State's worst loss since 2018.
How to make Iowa State vs. Baylor picks
Wetzel and Barzilai are leaning under on the total. They also have found a crucial X-factor that makes one side a must-back. You can get their pick only at SportsLine.
So who wins Baylor vs. Iowa State? And what crucial X-factor makes one side a must-back? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the experts who are an outstanding 468-342 on their women's college basketball picks, and find out.
