The Iowa Hawkeyes (17-7) visit Assembly Hall to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (15-8) Thursday for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off of a Big Ten contest in Bloomington, Ind. We analyze the Iowa-Indiana odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.
Iowa at Indiana: Three things you need to know
1. Indiana has dropped four straight games, and over that stretch the Hoosiers have coughed up 70.8 points per game. Over their previous five games, IU had given up just 62.4 PPG. For the season, Indiana has yielded 66.9 PPG (10th Big Ten). Over the team’s four-game slide, opponents have connected on 38.9% of their 3-point attempts. The timing isn’t great, as Iowa leads the Big Ten in scoring offense with 79.1 PPG.
2. Iowa is just 1-4 over its last five games away from home. The Hawkeyes are 3-4 on the road overall. IU has a substantial home-court advantage in peripheral numbers and a 12-3 record over 15 games on its home hardwood. Those wins include games against Michigan State and Ohio State.
3. Iowa has trouble with up-tempo teams capable of creating turnovers and turning them into transition buckets. The Hoosiers rank outside the top-200 in pace and in scores off of turnovers.
Get some action on this college basketball matchup or others by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
Iowa at Indiana: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Iowa 79, Indiana 74
Moneyline (ML)
Some of the Hawkeyes’ road woes are opponent-related, and one or two missteps have come with opponent shooting percentages enough out of whack as to perhaps hold Iowa a bit less responsible.
IOWA (+110) is a solid play moneyline play for the outright win.
Against the Spread (ATS)
The road team is 4-1 ATS over the last five games in this series. The Hoosiers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following an ATS loss. They are 2-6 ATS when facing teams averaging more than 70 PPG. With full-rest (more than two days), Iowa is 7-1-3 ATS; Indiana is 5-9. Both teams are coming off four days of rest.
There’s a lot of variety in the ways Iowa can beat a team and the Hawkeyes are still vying for a regular-season conference title. IOWA (+1.5, -106) is a play worth backing. Take this as a stand-alone play or play it alongside the moneyline as insurance.
Over/Under (O/U)
The Over is 6-0 in Iowa’s last six games vs. teams with a winning record. Figure on both sides getting to the free-throw line plenty often Thursday. It’s not a slam dunk because both teams are more erratic than most, but Iowa could get to 85 on its own. A total in the 150s figures as likely enough to warrant a play on the OVER 149 (-110).
Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=11866]