James H. Hilton Coliseum - Ames, IA
Tip-off: Monday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Iowa State -5

Both No. 19 Texas and No. 15 Iowa State will be looking to shake off recent losses when the two square off in Ames, Iowa on Monday night.

Texas’ defense was uncharacteristically bad in a 75-62 home loss against Kansas on Saturday. The Longhorns had gone six straight games allowing 70 points or less before allowing a season-high 75 points to the Jayhawks, due largely to forcing just three Kansas turnovers for the entire game. The Cyclones, meanwhile, dropped an extremely winnable game in a 78-73 road loss to 10-point underdog Texas Tech on Saturday. The difference in the game was easily in the way both teams shot, as Iowa State was just 6-of-31 from three and 13-of-17 from the line compared to Texas Tech’s 11-of-24 from three and 23-of-28 from the line. Over the past two seasons, both of these teams have won-and-covered when playing as the host in this head-to-head series. The most recent game was February 18, 2014, when the Cyclones won 85-76 as six-point home favorites. Texas was, however, the last team to win a road game in this series, beating Iowa State 90-83 as a 7.5-point favorite in Ames back on Jan. 13, 2010. Seven of the past eight meetings at Iowa State have finished Over the total. In the past two seasons, the Cyclones are just 2-9 ATS after two or more consecutive Overs, but are 10-2 ATS as a home favorite of six points or less over the past three seasons. There are no significant injuries for either school in Monday's matchup.

Can the Longhorns win a crucial Big 12 road game against the Cyclones on Monday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have been heating up since Dec. 23, combining for a 58% ATS mark (73-52) in college basketball Best Bets. StatFox Gary is a stellar 72% ATS (18-7) during this timeframe to improve to 66% ATS (36-19) for the season. StatFox Brian is 62% ATS (13-8) in Best Bets since Dec. 28 to put him at 55% ATS (30-25) this season, while StatFox Zach is on a 59% ATS (10-7) Best Bets run since Jan. 1 and has a solid 55% ATS mark (30-25) this season. StatFox Dave is a sizzling 70% ATS (7-3) in Best Bets since Jan. 13, and StatFox Scott is a strong 60% ATS (15-10) in Best Bets since Dec. 23.

The Longhorns are coming off a loss to the Jayhawks on Saturday and they’ll look to turn things around with an important road victory over Iowa State. Despite a poor showing against Kansas, this team is still one of the toughest teams in the country. Texas is extremely resilient on the glass, averaging 42.5 rebounds per game (4th in nation) and is also excellent defensively with just 57.3 PPG allowed (16th in nation) on 34.9% FG and 30.2% threes. Offensively, the club scores 69.5 PPG on 43.5% FG, and those numbers are way down in Big 12 play (63.7 PPG on 38.6% FG). One of the reasons this team is so difficult to face is freshman PF Myles Turner (11.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.8 BPG). Turner had eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks in Saturday's loss to Kansas and should be able to do better against a weaker Cyclones frontcourt. He is a dynamic shot-blocker and his jumper makes him a really tough cover for somebody that is 6-foot-11, 240 pounds. While Turner is a force for this team, the Longhorns will go only as far as PG Isaiah Taylor (12.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.2 SPG) takes them. Taylor is one of the best point guards in college basketball and is coming off of a 23-point, 5-rebound performance against Kansas. One problem with that game was that Taylor dished out just one assist in 35 minutes. He’ll need to distribute the ball better against Iowa State, as he is not capable of beating the Cyclones by himself. The last time he played in Ames, he finished with 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Senior SF Jonathan Holmes (11.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG) is one of the most experienced players on this Longhorns team. He is a handful on the glass and, like Turner, can step outside and knock down long-range shots (37% threes). Holmes had 14 points against Kansas last game, but he grabbed only three rebounds. His team will need him to be much more active on the glass in this one. He was excellent against the Cyclones last season, averaging 18.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG in their two meetings.

The Cyclones went into Texas Tech on Saturday and lost 78-73 to a Red Raiders team that just would not miss. The team will need to forget about that game quickly, as the Longhorns will be in town Monday night for a huge Big 12 matchup. This team is a tough to cover because they move the ball very well, averaging 17.9 APG (1st in nation), which leads to 79.7 PPG on 48.4% FG. Defensively, ISU allows opponents to score 67.7 PPG, but holds them to 41.2% FG and 32.9% threes. PG Monte Morris (10.7 PPG, 5.6 APG, 1.7 APG) is the guy who runs the show for Iowa State. He had 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in a loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, and he’ll need to be equally as aggressive against the Longhorns. The matchup between Morris and Isaiah Taylor will go a long way in deciding who wins this game. PF Georges Niang (14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.5 APG) is a guy that can do it all for the Cyclones. Niang had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in the loss to the Red Raiders last game and will need to be more effective against Texas. In two games against the Longhorns last season, he averaged 19.0 PPG, 5.5 APG and 4.5 RPG. Niang should see time matched up against Jonathan Holmes and if he is, he will need to hold his own defensively. SG Bryce Dejean-Jones (12.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 SPG) will need to get himself going offensively for the Cyclones. He is this team’s third-most reliable scoring option, but he’s averaged just 8.5 PPG in 20.5 MPG over the past two contests. His outside shot has been miserable recently, as he is now 0-for-9 from three-point range over the past three contests. If Dejean-Jones cannot find his stroke soon, it will be extremely tough for head coach Fred Hoiberg to trust him late in games.