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Iowa vs Illinois prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Sunday.
Iowa vs Illinois prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Sunday, March 6
Date: Sunday, March 6
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Iowa (22-8), Illinois (21-8)
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Iowa vs Michigan prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Thursday.
Iowa vs Michigan prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Thursday, March 3
Date: Thursday, March 3
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Iowa (21-8), Michigan (15-12)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
The Hawkeyes lost to Michigan a few weeks ago, and that was the only blip in February.
It won three straight before that and four straight after, cranking up its amazing offense to keep leading the Big Ten averaging 84 points per game.
Even when the shooting isn’t great, the Hawkeyes keep on scoring. It starts by dominating the boards, generating a ton of steals and points on the move, and it’s helped by being No. 1 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.
On the flip side, Michigan has lost three of its last five games with a hit-or-miss attack from the outside and without enough offensive rebounds to make up for the slowdowns and inconsistencies.
But …
What did Michigan do to beat Iowa the first time around?
It cranked up the defense that held Iowa to just 22% from three, but it won on the free throw line. The Wolverines made five more than The Hawkeyes did, and that might have to happen again.
Iowa will make at least 15 free throws, because that’s what it does – it gets to the line a whole lot. Michigan made 22-of-25 free throws in the loss to Illinois a few days ago, and it has to attack enough to force enough fouls to slow things down and match Iowa’s offense in some way.
Iowa leads the Big Ten in made free throws. Michigan needs to make that a non-factor.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Michigan really, really, really needs this.
Iowa’s offense travels, though.
There was a problem earlier in the season, but it’s find a groove over the last few weeks with three straight road wins thanks to the offense that’s been red hot.
Michigan will be able to keep up for stretches, but it won’t have the offense – or the free throws – to come through late.
Iowa 84, Michigan 78
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Tyrannosaurus regina
1: Tyrannosaurus imperator
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Iowa vs Northwestern prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Monday.
Iowa vs Northwestern prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Monday, February 28
Date: Monday, February 28
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Iowa (20-8), Northwestern (13-14)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
It’s been a rough few weeks for Northwestern, but what is it doing right?
It lost four out of its last five games, but it rose up and was on from three in the win over Nebraska, the defense hasn’t been all that bad, and there aren’t enough turnovers to be a problem.
The Wildcats are second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, giving it up ten times or fewer 13 times in the last 19 games. The offense is good at passing the ball around and setting up decent opportunities, but …
Yeah, Northwestern is No. 2 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Iowa is No. 1.
Northwestern just doesn’t shoot well. It was good against Nebraska, but who isn’t? It’s been a fight to get to 40% from the field – only getting there once in the last six games – and forget about putting 70 points on the board lately.
On the flip side, Iowa has won three straight and six of the last seven with the offense shooting well from the outside in the last two games, and with the scoring punch coming in all areas.
Iowa has a nice mix of positives happening right now. The scoring is there, the turnovers are at a minimum, and the threes are falling. Northwestern can’t handle any of it.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
As mediocre as Northwestern has been, it’s not getting totally annihilated on the road.
It’s going to lose – it has no chance of keeping up with the Hawkeyes – but the defense and style will be just strong enough to keep this from getting out of hand.
It’s going to take Iowa going dead-cold from the outside, and that’s not going to happen. It’s not going to give up the ball enough for easy Northwestern points.
Iowa 80, Northwestern 65
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: No War
1: War
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Iowa vs Nebraska prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Friday.
Iowa vs Nebraska prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Friday, February 25
Date: Friday, February 25
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Iowa (19-8), Nebraska (7-20)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
It doesn’t really matter, but Iowa might be the most disrespected team in college basketball right now.
It’s barely ranked despite winning five of its last six games including dominant wins over Ohio State, Michigan State, and …
Nebraska.
The Hawkeyes rolled 98-75 a few weeks ago by nailing well over half of their shots, doing a great job on the free throw line, and canning ten threes. But that’s what they do.
Nebraska doesn’t rebound, it doesn’t hit from three, and there are way too many fouls. On the flip side, Iowa doesn’t turn the ball over – it’s second in the nation behind Wisconsin in fewest mistakes – and it’s fourth in scoring averaging close to 84 points per game.
Nebraska can’t keep up, but …
Okay, so what are the Huskers doing right lately?
They’ve lost 13 of their last 14 and 18 of the last 20, but they’re not that awful from the field, they move the ball around relatively well and get a whole lot of assists, and the defense hasn’t been bad from three lately.
It’s going to take a special offensive performance to keep up, but if the defense can get out and keep the Hawkeyes from being dominant from the outside, and if they can keep it close, there’s a chance to pull this off on the free throw line.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Nebraska won’t be able to keep up.
The Huskers not only aren’t going to be sharp enough from the field, but they’re not good enough on the offensive boards to make up for it.
They’ll have a few moments when things work, and Iowa struggles on the road going 4-5, but it’ll keep up the scoring in the second half and Nebraska won’t.
Iowa 82, Nebraska 71
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Troy Aikman on Monday Night Football
1: His inability to not say “make a play”
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Michigan State vs Iowa prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Tuesday.
Michigan State vs Iowa prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Tuesday, February 22
Date: Tuesday, February 22
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Michigan State (18-8), Iowa (18-8)
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– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
What’s going wrong for Michigan State over this run of four losses in the last five games?
It’s not all that bad from the field and the defense has been relatively solid. The Spartans still have the best three point defense in the Big Ten, there’s a nice inside defensive presence, and the games haven’t been getting out of hand.
Iowa is doing a lot of things right, but it doesn’t do enough on the defensive boards. Michigan State has to come strong on the offensive boards and get lots and lots of second chance points.
Penn State was able to beat the Hawkeyes a few weeks ago with 52 rebounds and 14 on the offensive side. That was a two overtime game, though – Maryland was able to come up with 11 offensive boards, and Ohio State just got 11, too, but …
Yeah, yeah, yeah, answer the question.
What’s going wrong for Michigan State over this run of four losses in the last five games?
It just doesn’t seem like it knows how to score.
There’s no ball movement, there aren’t enough threes, and there isn’t enough happening to force free throws for easy points. It also doesn’t help that the D doesn’t force mistakes – it hasn’t come up with double-digit turnovers in four of the last five games.
Iowa should be able to bomb its way through this.
This isn’t a perfect Hawkeye team, but it’s going to move fast, shoot a lot of threes, and keep the offensive production going. Michigan State hasn’t shown the ability to keep up any sort of decent pace.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Can Michigan State do anything from three?
Iowa will have 70 points getting off the bus, and Michigan State can’t just rely on coming up with a stop here and there. It has to play along, and it hasn’t shown the ability to do that lately.
The Spartans aren’t going to dominate the rebounding margin like it needs to, and it’s not going to get that one scoring burst needed after hanging around deep into the second half.
Iowa 78, Michigan State 69
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Having the middle seat open next to you on a flight
1: People who put their chair back all the way
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Ohio State vs Iowa prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.
Ohio State vs Iowa prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, February 19
Date: Saturday, February 19
Game Time: 2:30 ET
Venue: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
How To Watch: FOX
Record: Iowa (17-8), Ohio State (16-6)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Iowa just doesn’t make mistakes.
It’s the highest-scoring team in the Big Ten while last coming up with the most steals. It dominates the turnover margin while being great at moving the ball around for a fast attack that scores fast, bombs from three, and can turn the lights out fast.
Ohio State wants to keep this in the 60s or under. It wants to make this a defensive fight because it doesn’t hit enough threes on a regular basis, it’s not great on the free throw line – it’s actually okay, but not over the last few weeks – and it can’t get out of its comfort zone with an up-and-down firefight.
However …
That Ohio State defense.
It’s been great at stopping teams from getting into a groove from the outside.
It’s allowed just one team – Purdue – to hit more than 35% from three since early January and it’s coming up with enough blocked shots to have an inside presence.
What’s Ohio State doing wrong over this defense run – besides not doing enough from three? It’s struggling a bit on the free throw line. It was great against Michigan, but it’s not getting to the line enough and it’s not making them when it’s there.
Iowa – for all its fun and flash – has been a disaster at times on the line over the last few weeks. One night it’ll be dead-on, and another it can’t seem to get anything going.
And …
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
For whatever reason, the Iowa offensive consistency isn’t traveling like it should.
Oh sure, it hit 110 on Maryland a few days ago in a blowout win, but it stalled to a dead stop in a 48-46 loss at Rutgers, couldn’t get past a mediocre Penn State, and overall it’s just 3-5 on the road.
Ohio State is 11-0 in Value City for a reason.
Ohio State 78, Iowa 73
Line: Ohio State -5.5, o/u: 153.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
5: Larry David crypto ad
1: Olympic Closing Ceremonies
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Iowa vs Ohio State prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Wednesday.
Iowa vs Ohio State prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Thursday, February 3
Date: Thursday, February 3
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Iowa (14-7), Ohio State (13-5)
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
There might be some big problems over the last two games with the defense, but the Hawkeyes are still moving the ball around well and are teams are better at coming up with steals and big defensive plays.
On the flip side, Ohio State’s defense doesn’t steal anything.
It doesn’t rebound well enough, and now it’s going against a team that can live on the glass for stretches at both ends. Get the defensive rebound – or a steal – and Iowa is off and moving. On the offensive glass, it’s one of the best teams in the country when things aren’t quite going right.
Throw up the threes like Iowa does, and and you had better be able to rebound to stop what’s coming. Ohio State can’t.
However …
Iowa’s defense has had a few issues.
Oh sure, it’s fine and fun when it’s going against Rutgers and Penn State – at least at home – but Purdue did anything it wanted both inside and out in a 83-73 win, and it couldn’t get by Penn State the second time around on the road.
For the Buckeyes it’s going to start with making the extra pass – and not screwing up when it does it.
Again, Iowa is fantastic at forcing mistakes, but when Ohio State is careful with the ball and can keep the turnovers to around 12 or so, it’s okay. When the Buckeyes come up with 17 or more assists they’re 7-0, and they’re 12-2 when they come up with 13 or more.
Iowa – again, for all of the good things it does – allows a whole lot of extra passes for basket. Only seven times has the D allowed fewer than 13 assists.
– Top 25 Game Previews, Predictions
Iowa’s skid keeps on going if it can’t bomb its way out of its rough spots.
It’s doing a great job on the free throw line, but it hasn’t done enough from the field when the threes aren’t falling.
There’s noting pretty about what Ohio State is doing, and it’s having a devil of a time getting the three to drop on a consistent basis, but at home it’ll do enough to keep the score relatively low and make it 10-0 when playing in Value City.
Ohio State 76, Iowa 72
Line: Ohio State -5, o/u: 152.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
5: Washington Football Team
1: Washington Commandos
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Purdue vs Iowa prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Thursday.
Purdue vs Iowa prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Thursday, January 27
Date: Thursday, January 27
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: Carter-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
How To Watch: FS1
Record: Purdue (16-3), Iowa (14-5)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+
– Today’s Best Bet to Lock in Now
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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Can Iowa handle the Purdue size on the inside?
The Hawkeyes rebound well, and they’re never afraid to get tough on both ends, but this is a huge Boilermaker team that dominates games on the boards – it’s second in the nation in rebounding margin – and for all of the good things Iowa does, it’s got a weird habit of going way too cold for way too long.
How do you lose to Rutgers? You hit 28% from the field.
Iowa is going to shoot from three and keep shooting from three, and the Boilermakers should clean up every rebound.
– NFL Mock Draft: First 1st round mock
Yeah, the threes. If Iowa is on from the outside – Purdue is just okay at defending from three – it should take control and make this more of an up-and-down fight.
Purdue does a whole lot of things right, but it doesn’t force mistakes, it doesn’t generate enough pressure, and considering the height inside, it’s not good enough from the field.
Purdue shoots a whole lot of threes, but this is the wrong team to go against if this comes down to who’s doing more from the outside.
– AP college basketball top 25
This should be a whole lot of fun.
Again, Purdue has the size that it should try to pound away a bit, but that’s not going to happen as the game goes on.
Both teams can D up, but that’s not what this will be about. It’ll get faster over the final ten minutes with Iowa doing more from three as the home momentum plays a huge role.
Iowa 83, Purdue 79
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
5: Snow bomb cyclone
1: Whatever dopey nickname the Washington Football Team goes with other than Snow bomb cyclone
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2022 NFL Draft Underclassmen. Early Entrants
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OG/Cs
Edge | DEs/DTs | LBs | CBs | Safeties | P/Ks
Top 30 2021 NFL Draft Early Entrants
2022 NFL Draft Early Entrants By College
The nations top two leading scorers will face off when No. 23 Wisconsin takes on Iowa Thursday night at the Kohl Center.
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The No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers are fresh off of a statement victory on the road over the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers.
On Thursday, Wisconsin will be forced to get right back to work, taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center.
Kohl Center history will be made on Thursday night when the nation’s top two leading scorers go head to head. Iowa’s Keegan Murray (24.5 ppg) and Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis (22.3 ppg) matching up will be the first time in the history of the Kohl Center that the nations top two scorers have played against one another in the building.
This game will also feature a pair of super seniors in Brad Davison and Jordan Bohannon. Bohannon joked on Tuesday that the game might have to be moved up so as not to interfere with the super seniors’ bed time.
Can we move the game up earlier on Thursday? It’s going to be past me and Brad’s bedtime
— Jordan Bohannon (@JordanBo_3) January 5, 2022
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been a tough adversary for head coach Greg Gard. Over the course of his tenure he’s just 3-6 all time against Fran McCaffery.
Wisconsin: 32nd ranked team, 33rd in ADJ Defense, 2nd in turnover%.
Purdue: 23rd ranked team, 3rd in ADJ Offense, 7th in Avg. Poss. Length.
Guard: Joe Toussaint (5.2 ppg, 3.9 apg)
Guard: Jordan Bohannon (10.6 ppg, 1.4 apg)
Forward: Patrick McCaffery (11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Forward: Keegan Murray (24.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
Forward: Filip Rebraca (6.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
Guard: Chucky Hepburn (7.3 ppg, 2.2 apg)
Guard: Brad Davison (14.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Guard: Johnny Davis (22.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
Forward: Tyler Wahl (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Center: Steven Crowl (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
This is going to be a game with contrasting styles of play. Iowa plays at the 7th fastest pace of play, and is scoring 87.4 points per game – good for 2nd in the nation.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, is 216th in terms of pace of play, instead picking and choosing when to push the ball, and when to wear teams out in the half court.
The Badgers are undefeated this season when scoring 61 or more points, while losing both of the games where they failed to reach that number.
It’s also worth noting that Iowa hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent yet this season.
The Badgers and Hawkeyes tip off at 8 p.m. CT on FS1.
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Stats that defined a tough Badger loss
After No. 25 Wisconsin came all the way back to erase a double-digit Iowa lead, the No. 5 Hawkeyes closed out a 77-73 win at the charity strip.
It was the best 40 minutes of Badger basketball against a top Big Ten opponent all season, but in the end Wisconsin fell to 0-7 against the top five teams in the league.
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From foul numbers to offensive rebounds, here is a trio of stats that defined Wisconsin’s loss to Iowa:
