Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Iowa State Cyclones Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

The Nevada Wolf Pack ride a nine-game winning streak into this NCAA tournament, with nine covers in a row.

Meanwhile, the Iowa State Cyclones are 9-1 straight up and 8-2 against the spread over their last 10 games.

In an interesting 5 vs. 12 matchup in the Midwest, the Wolf Pack challenge the Cyclones on Thursday night in Milwaukee.

Point spread: The Cyclones opened as 6.5-point favorites; the total is at 155.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report) (Download the NCAA tournament bracket)

Why Nevada can cover the spread

Nevada won its last six games to claim the Mountain West's regular-season title, finishing 14-4 in conference play. The Wolf Pack then won three games in three days to claim the conference tournament title. Most recently, they beat Colorado State in the championship game on Saturday, 79-71.

Nevada is at the Big Dance for the first time in a decade.

On the season, the Wolf Pack are shooting 39 percent from trifecta territory, averaging 80 points per game, with four guys averaging at least 14 points per game.

And they can play some defense, holding opponents to 43 percent field-goal shooting and just 31 percent shooting from three-point range. They've also outrebounded each of their last nine foes.

Why Iowa State can cover the spread

ISU used a late-season six-game winning streak to finish 12-6 in Big 12 play, then they blew through Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia to win the Big 12 tournament for the third time in the last four years.

Along with three at-large bids, Iowa State is now playing in the NCAA tournament for the sixth season in a row.

Most recently, the Cyclones looked great in beating the Mountaineers 80-74 in that Big 12 championship game on Saturday. Iowa State led by six at halftime and later pushed that to 12 on its way to another tournament title.

For the season, the Cyclones are shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point land, averaging 81 points per game, with four players averaging at least 12 points per game.

Smart betting pick

Iowa State might win this game, but Nevada has what it takes to keep things close. Also, over the last four NCAA tournaments, No. 12 seeds are 9-7 SU and 10-5-1 ATS in the first round. The smart money here backs the Wolf Pack, plus the points.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone over in Iowa State's last nine games.

Iowa State is 1-5-1 ATS in its last seven games against the Mountain West.

Nevada is 9-0 SU and ATS in its last nine games.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.