The No. 22 Northwestern Wildcats (6-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) visit the 11th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2, 1-1) Tuesday for a 9 p.m. ET tip. Below, we analyze the Northwestern-Iowa college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Northwestern at Iowa: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Northwestern +500 (bet $100 to win $500) | Iowa -700 (bet $700 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Northwestern +11.5 (-115) | Iowa -11.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 158.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Northwestern at Iowa: Three things to know
- Northwestern has been a huge surprise in the early part of the season. The Wildcats enter on a 4-game win streak, including three consecutive Big Ten upsets: 79-65 as 7.5-point home underdogs vs. then-No. 4 Michigan State (Dec. 20), 74-67 as 9-point dogs at Indiana (Dec. 23) and 71-70 as 2.5-point dogs vs. No. 20 Ohio State (Saturday). Junior F Miller Kopp and sophomore G Boo Buie lead the Wildcats in scoring with 15.1 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Junior F Pete Nance, whose father is former NBA star Larry Nance, leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 rebounds per game while adding 10.6 PPG.
- Iowa is coming off a 102-95 overtime loss as a 6.5-point favorite at Minnesota on Christmas Day. Senior C Luka Garza, who leads the country with 28.8 PPG, scored a game-high 32 points with a season-best 17 rebounds in the defeat. Sophomore G CJ Fredrick added 23 points, including a 5-for-6 performance from 3-point land. It was the Hawkeyes’ second loss in their last three games, and they dropped six spots in the rankings.
- Iowa has won the last four meetings vs. Northwestern and is 6-1 in the last seven in the series. In the most recent matchup, Garza netted a game-high 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting to lead Iowa to a 75-62 road win Jan. 14.
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Northwestern at Iowa: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Iowa 84, Northwestern 77
Money line (ML)
PASS. Betting on Iowa (-700) requires risking 7 times your potential return. That’s not smart gambling. At +500, Northwestern is very tempting. I wouldn’t blame anyone – or laugh at them – for giving it a shot since the ‘Cats are hot and it pays 5-to-1, but I don’t see the Hawkeyes losing after just getting beat in Minneapolis.
Against the spread (ATS)
NORTHWESTERN +11.5 (-115) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The Wildcats are the Big Ten basketball version of the 2020 Indiana Hoosiers football team, which went 7-0 ATS during the regular season. Everyone expects them to eventually start losing, but it just doesn’t happen.
Don’t be alarmed if the Wildcats find themselves facing a large deficit but claw their way back and at least cover the double-digit spread.
ATS records: Northwestern 5-1 | Iowa 6-3
Over/Under (O/U)
Back the OVER 158.5 (-110) for HALF YOUR USUAL WAGER. The Hawkeyes rank second in the country at 95.1 PPG, but more importantly, they’re allowing 74.1 PPG, which ranks 249th. Iowa’s disappointing defense has been exposed in losses to Gonzaga (99-88 Dec. 19) and recently to Minnesota.
O/U records: Northwestern 4-2 | Iowa 8-1
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
| Johnny’s 2020 CBK record / Strongest plays | 11-17 / 4-9 |
| 2019-20 CBK record / Strongest plays | 5-3 / 5-0 |
| 2020 overall record (all sports) | 174-145-4 |
| Strongest plays (all sports) | 86-59-1 |
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