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Wisconsin vs Iowa College Basketball Game Preview

Wisconsin Badgers vs Iowa Hawkeyes prediction and college basketball game preview.

Wisconsin Badgers vs Iowa Hawkeyes prediction and college basketball game preview.

Wisconsin vs Iowa Broadcast

Date: Sunday, March 7
Game Time: 12:30 ET
Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
Network: FOX

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Wisconsin (16-10) vs Iowa (19-7) Game Preview

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Why Wisconsin Will Win

The Badgers might be struggling, but they haven’t been too bad from the field.

The run of four losses in the last five games includes a 68-51 clunker to Iowa a few weeks ago with the O not working at all, but that’s an aberration. The Hawkeye defense has been better lately, but the 30% from the field by Bucky was tied for the worst shooting performance by anyone this year against that D.

It’s not going to happen again.

Iowa is used to giving up a ton of points and it doesn’t do enough to guard teams from three, and Wisconsin hasn’t been bad from the outside over the last few games. But …

Why Iowa Will Win

Again, the Iowa D has stepped up lately.

It was a rough year stopping anyone in shootouts, but all of a sudden the defense has been terrific with teams failing to hit 40% from the field in five of the last eight games.

The offense hasn’t gone so all out, it’s been in more control, limited the turnovers, and the results have been great from early February on. Basically, Iowa went more Wisconsin in style – just a wee bit – and it has paid off.

What’s Going To Happen

Wisconsin is dying a painful death. Usually it’s a team that controls its style and dictates the tempo, and that’s not happening.

The defense has been shockingly awful, and the offense isn’t there to make up for it. It’s not all going to suddenly come together on an Iowa team that’s going to finish third in the regular season Big Ten standings.

Wisconsin vs Iowa Prediction, Line

Iowa 76, Wisconsin 69
Bet on college basketball with BetMGM
Line: Iowa -6, o/u: 144
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5

Must See Rating: 3

5: Regular season champion
1: Conference tournament champion

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Jalen Berger and several other key starters are OUT today vs. Iowa

As if this season couldn’t get any tougher, the Wisconsin Badgers will be without three key starters today when they take the field…

As if this season couldn’t get any tougher, the Wisconsin Badgers will be without three key starters today when they take the field against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Those players are RB Jalen Berger, WR Danny Davis and WR Kendric Pryor

Not good for the #Badgers https://t.co/vc1Dn89UJf

— Ben Kenney (@benzkenney) December 12, 2020

Though the Big Ten title is now out of the equation for the Badgers, they still have a shot at finishing second in the Big Ten West, facing Indiana during Big Ten Champions Week and reaching a good Bowl Game.

It seems as though nothing can go right for the team this year, as whenever they find a rhythm a game is canceled due to COVID-19 protocols and whenever they begin to get healthy more key players go down.

The Badgers will take the field at 2:30 p.m. CST against Iowa with the game available on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.

Iowa Preview:

ESPN College Gameday picks for Wisconsin vs. Iowa

It’s gameday in Iowa City as the Wisconsin Badgers get set to battle the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes in the final game of their regular season…

It’s game day in Iowa City as the Wisconsin Badgers get set to battle the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes in the final game of their regular season.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Paul Chryst’s team, with two straight blowout victories to start the season, three games being canceled due to COVID-19 protocols and two straight hard-fought losses against Northwestern and Indiana.

The season as a whole has been a challenge for everybody involved, but the team now gets a shot at defeating rival Iowa, facing Indiana during Big Ten Champions Week and entering Bowl Season with a 4-2 record.

Although ESPN College Gameday was on-site for the Army vs. Navy in West Point, New York, the Badgers’ matchup with the Hawkeyes as well as the Big Ten’s decision to waive the six-game requirement were significant topics.

Here is who the hosts picked to come away with a victory:

Kirk Herbstreit: Iowa

Lee Corso: Iowa

Desmond Howard: Iowa

David Pollack: Iowa

Guest picker Condoleezza Rice: Wisconsin

The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CST and be available on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.

What Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz is saying about Wisconsin before the game

The Wisconsin Badgers are set to travel to Iowa City this weekend and go into battle against Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and the 5-2…

The Wisconsin Badgers are set to travel to Iowa City this weekend and enter battle against Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and the 5-2 Iowa Hawkeyes.

Entering the contest the two teams are on complete opposite trajectories–with Iowa winning five straight after starting the season 0-2 and Wisconsin looking to break their two-game losing streak after beginning the year with two straight wins.

The matchup between these two schools is always a hard-fought one and although the Badgers have won four straight in their all-time series, the game nearly every year is decided by only one possession.

Ferentz spoke earlier this week about the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers, saying they’re “A tough, physical football team. They’re extremely well-coached. They have good players every year. They have a good coaching staff. Coach Chryst and his staff do an amazing job.”

He continued to note the consistency that the program brings to the field every season and which features make that the case.

“Probably if you go back to the early ’90s, almost the same script each and every year. Some faces have changed, but they just play good football. They make you earn anything you’re going to get. That’s the case this year again.

They’re big, physical. They play hard, extremely hard. Don’t make many errors. On top of that, they play really well. They have a good offensive line again, a good running game, a quarterback who looks very impressive, and good receivers.”

Finally, the Iowa head coach discussed Jim Leonhard’s defensive unit and outlined what his team will have to do to come away with a victory.

“Defensively I think they’re leading the league in just about every category. What you’d expect. They’re a really tough football team. It’s going to require us to play our best game. We haven’t done that yet. We’ve done some good things, been really good at times. For us to win this game, it’s going to take our best effort, take it for the full 60. We’re going to have to earn it, that’s for sure, if we’re going to get it done. That has kind of been the history of the series. That’s what we’re looking at right now.”

The Badgers and Hawkeyes will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CST on Saturday as both programs look to end the regular season on a high note and carry positive momentum into postseason play.

What is actually going to fix the Wisconsin Badger offense?

With a 6-point effort in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, the Wisconsin Badgers now have scored a total of 13 points in their last two games…

With a 6-point effort in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, the Wisconsin Badgers have now scored a total of 13 points in their last two games, that obviously coming after 45 and 49-point efforts to start the season.

There’s been talk online and in the Badger sporting world that running more jet sweeps, including creativity and handing the ball off more to Jalen Berger will be the things to lead the unit back to their early-season form.

While those factors may help, the notion that the lack of jet sweeps and touches by backs not named Berger have been the things holding this offense back is completely false.

Here’s why (which will also answer the question at hand of what truly will fix the Badger offense).

Last year we saw Jack Coan, Jonathan Taylor and the offense find consistent success all season. A part of that success was more than 450 rushing yards by wide receivers–180 of which coming from Kendric Pryor alone. What those plays did back then was take pressure off Taylor in the run game and help to spread the defense.

When you have somebody like Jonathan Taylor in the backfield those plays are able to work and the offense doesn’t normally struggle to move the football. With JT gone to the NFL, this year and the future of the offense is completely different.

While true freshman Jalen Berger is clearly the best back the team has and should be receiving more touches, he is not the single catalyst of the offense like Taylor was for three years. The catalyst of the offense also won’t be “creative” plays or jet sweeps and screens.

Right now (and all season) the catalyst has been the play of Graham Mertz at quarterback.

Maybe when Berger develops and becomes an upperclassman he can have a Taylor-like effect.

But if you’re looking for something to change in order for the offense to return to their early-season success and start connecting on big plays again the answer can be found in the play of the man under center.

In his first two starts: 32/43 passing, 375 yards, 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

In his second two starts: 43/75 passing, 432 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 interceptions and 2 fumbles.

It must be said that both Indiana and Northwestern have stellar defenses and the same can’t be said for Illinois and Michigan.

But, as I outlined earlier this week, Mertz has struggled with timing, decision-making and ball placement recently and, as a result, the offense has failed to put many points on the board.

He is a redshirt freshman and has plenty of time to mature and develop as a passer–which I believe he will do. This is just purely an analysis of the main factor that has led to the team only scoring 13 points in two games.

Again, Berger touching the ball more and improved play calling are part of the story. But those two things alone aren’t going to help this offense score more points.

Mertz will need to play better. It’s that simple.

Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Iowa on Saturday

The 2-2 and No. 25-ranked Wisconsin Badgers and the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes are set for a December battle that will decide who finishes…

The 2-2 and No. 25-ranked Wisconsin Badgers and the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes are set for a December battle that will decide who finishes second in the Big Ten West.

Entering the season, this matchup could have been for the division, but thanks to Northwestern’s victories over both schools the Wildcats have punched their ticket to Indianapolis and the winner of this game will now decide who faces Ohio State during Big Ten Champions Week.

Kinnick Stadium is never an easy place to win, and even when the Badgers have found success there it has been a hard-fought, closely-contested football game.

Expect that to be the case on Saturday, with the Hawkeyes riding the momentum of five straight victories and the Badgers looking to continue their four-game winning streak in the schools’ all-time series.

Saturday’s loss to Indiana happened in large part because the Badgers did not accomplish any of the five keys to victory I outlined heading into the contest.

Now, for Paul Chryst’s team to turn around on Saturday and end their two-game losing streak, here are five things they must do:

Team preview: Iowa Hawkeyes

You know you’re living in a wild time when the Wisconsin Badgers and No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes are kicking off their game on December 12…

You know you’re living in a wild time when the Wisconsin Badgers and No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes are kicking off their game on December 12.

That is obviously the case right now with the 2-2 Badgers looking to end their 2-game skid and finish the regular season above .500, while the Hawkeyes are set out to end Wisconsin’s four-game win streak in the series and finish the regular season second in the Big Ten West.

Iowa’s football team–as they always do–mirrors that of Wisconsin in many ways. They are also, however, unlike the Hawkeye teams we’ve seen during the past four years with quarterback Nate Stanley, edge rusher A.J. Epenesa, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and others gone to the NFL.

Here is a team preview of the 2020 Iowa Hawkeyes: