A pair of top 25 teams meet Thursday night in the Big Ten as the No. 11 Iowa Hawkeyes (15-6, 9-5) travel northeast to face the No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers (15-7, 9-6). The winner will be in a prime spot for one of four double byes in next month’s Big Ten Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center in Madison and will be televised on ESPN.
The Hawkeyes are -1.5 on the road, and the total is 145.5 points. Last season Iowa won at home by six, but Wisconsin won seven of the nine previous matchups, including a 3-1 mark at home. These teams meet in the regular-season finale in Iowa City on March 7.
Tide’s Offense Looks to Get Back on Track
Iowa is 12-9 ATS, and the over is 12-9 in their 21 games. They rank third in the nation at 87.4 points per game and sixth in rebounding at 38.6 per game. They are also 11th in the country from behind the arc (39.6%) and 37th in overall field goal percentage (47.6).
After losing four of five, the Hawkeyes have bounced back to win two straight, including a 30-point win at Michigan State last Friday. Iowa shot 50 percent from the field that game while holding the Spartans to 35.5 percent shooting. Guard Joe Wieskamp led the Hawkeyes with 21 points, while guard Connor McCaffrey had 16.
On the season, All-American candidate Luka Garza leads Iowa with 24.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 56.2 percent from the field. Wieskamp is scoring 15.4 points per game, while guard Jordan Bohannon is at 10 points per game.
Garza’s streak of scoring at least 10 points in a game ended at 44 against Michigan State when he tallied just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Last season he had a 21-point, 18-rebound double-double against Wisconsin.
Badgers Need to Find Points
The Badgers are 10-11-1 ATS, and the under is 11-10-1 in their 21 games. They rank 210th in the nation at 70.3 points per game and are uncharacteristically 222nd in the country with 31.5 rebounds per game. The defense has been good, ranking 21st in scoring at 62.6 points per game and 61st in shooting defense at 40.8 percent.
Wisconsin blew a 14-point lead and lost to No. 3 Michigan 67-59 on Sunday, their third home loss of the season. Guard D’Mitrik Trice led the way with 16 points, while forward Aleem Ford had 15. Wisconsin allowed Michigan to shoot 41.2 percent from the 3-point range, and they were outrebounded by four.
Trice leads Wisconsin with 13.6 points per game, while forward Micah Potter scores 11.6 points per game and leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Ford scores 9.3 points per game, while forward Nate Reuvers and guard Brad Davison are both at 9.0 points per game.
Betting Line and Pick
Iowa -1.5. Total 145.5
This game is a style in contrast, with Iowa scoring 87.4 points per game and Wisconsin allowing 62.6 points per game. If Iowa hits threes, then Wisconsin has very little chance to keep up with the visitors. Wisconsin needs to slow the game down like they did to Michigan on Sunday but then hit their shots down the stretch. With Garza looking for a bounce-back game, look for Iowa to be in control.
FREE Pick: Iowa -1.5
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