The No. 12 seed Northwestern Wildcats (15-15) will battle the fifth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes (22-9) Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Northwestern vs. Iowa odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Iowa is 8-2 its last 10 games. The Hawkeyes finished 12-8 in the conference and 19-12 against the spread (ATS) overall. They are the top ATS team (19-12) in the Big Ten and are led by star F Keegan Murray, who averages 23.3 points per game. Iowa is ranked 23rd in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Northwestern squeaked by Nebraska 71-69 in an opening-round game Wednesday. The Wildcats tied for 10th in the Big Ten with a 7-13 conference mark and were 13-15-1 ATS overall. Against ranked opponents, they are 3-4-1 ATS. Northwestern, which is on a two-game win streak, is led by 6-foot-10 F Pete Nance, who averages 14.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Northwestern vs. Iowa odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:09 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Northwestern +280 (bet $100 to win $280) | Iowa -370 (bet $370 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Northwestern +7.5 (-108) | Iowa -7.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 147.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
[tipico]
Northwestern vs. Iowa odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Iowa 81, Northwestern 70
Money line
PASS.
Iowa is the superior team, but it’s March. Betting a -370 money line in March with the desperation found in some of these lower seeds just isn’t smart. Northwestern’s lone matchup against Iowa was a 21-point loss.
Against the spread
LEAN to IOWA -7.5 (-112).
Iowa has been a covering machine this season and already destroyed Northwestern. The Hawkeyes were 10.5-point home favorites in that 82-61 victory Feb 28.
Iowa is 14-10 ATS this season as a favorite. While Murray leads the show, Iowa has four players averaging double figures in points on a routine basis. That’s going to bode well over the course of a tournament.
Iowa is also 7-3 ATS with a rest advantage, which it will have here with Northwestern having to play in the first round Wednesday.
Lastly, Northwestern was just 9-11-1 ATS against conference opponents.
Over/Under
LEAN to the OVER 147.5 (-107).
Northwestern will put up more of a fight this time around, but there’s no reason to expect Iowa’s offense won’t be just as efficient.
Iowa put up 82 points the first time around which was actually below their 83.3 points per game average, which ranks fifth in the country. Iowa is 19-11-1 O/U this season.
Northwestern is 13-16 O/U this season and put up 71 against Nebraska in the opening round. If it can duplicate that, which should be possible against Iowa, which allows 71.0 points per game, the Over should be the better side of the total.
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