The No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes (7-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) visit the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-1, 0-1) Friday for an 8 p.m. ET tip. Below, we analyze the Iowa-Minnesota State college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Iowa Minnesota: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Iowa -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Minnesota +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
- Against the spread/ATS: Iowa -6.5 (-120) | Minnesota +6.5 (+100)
- Over/Under: 163.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Iowa at Minnesota: Three things to know
- Iowa bounced back from a 99-88 loss to No. 1 Gonzaga (Dec. 19) with an impressive 70-55 home victory vs. Purdue in its Big Ten opener Tuesday. Senior C Luka Garza had a game-high 22 points and 9 rebounds vs. the Boilermakers as the Hawkeyes covered as 7-point favorites. Garza leads the country with 28.4 points per game and leads Iowa with 9.1 rebounds per game Junior G Joe Wieskamp, who scored 17 points vs. Purdue, averages 16.0 PPG and 6.6 RPG.
- Minnesota is coming off a 90-82 non-conference win vs. Saint Louis Sunday. G Marcus Carr scored 14 of his game-high 32 points from the free-throw line in the second half as the Golden Gophers pulled off the upset as 2-point underdogs. The junior leads the Gophers with 23.9 PPG – he has scored 28 or more points in three games. Minnesota opened the season 6-0 before dropping its Big Ten opener at then-No. 13 Illinois 92-65.
- Iowa has won the last two meetings vs. Minnesota, sweeping last season’s series. The Hawkeyes won in Minneapolis 58-55 as 4.5-point underdogs Feb. 16, and prevailed at home 72-52 as 5-point favorites Dec. 9, 2019. The Gophers took three of the previous four meetings before that.
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Iowa at Minnesota: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Iowa 90, Minnesota 81
Money line (ML)
PASS. Backing Iowa (-350) would require risking 3½ your potential return. That’s just not a wise gambling strategy.
Against the spread (ATS)
IOWA -7.5 (-110) is worth a THREE-QUARTER UNIT WAGER. If the number climbs to 9 or higher, drop it to a half-unit bet. Minnesota’s defense has struggled early on, allowing 73.5 PPG to rank 247th in the nation. Iowa scores 95.1 PPG to rank second. The Gophers will have a tough time stopping Garza and the rest of the Hawkeyes’ offense.
ATS records: Iowa 6-2 | Minnesota 3-4-1
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 163.5 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The Hawkeyes’ high-scoring offense was already mentioned. Well, their defense is nothing to write home about. They give up 70.6 PPG.
This should be a fast-pace game with Garza and Carr putting on a show.
O/U records: Iowa 7-1 | Minnesota 6-2
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| Johnny’s 2020 CBK record / Strongest plays | 10-14 / 3-8 |
| 2019-20 CBK record / Strongest plays | 5-3 / 5-0 |
| 2020 overall record (all sports) | 170-140-3 |
| Strongest plays (all sports) | 83-57-1 |
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