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The Michigan Wolverines take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Michigan Iowa prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Michigan Iowa.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been through a very emotional and turbulent season in recent weeks. They lost as a 31.5-point favorite at home to Eastern Illinois and then got clobbered by 16 points at Nebraska. Just over a week ago, Patrick McCaffery — a player on the team and the son of coach Fran McCaffery — stepped away from the team to deal with his holistic wellness. He and his family have acknowledged, together, that Patrick is physically and mentally exhausted and simply needs to recharge. Iowa has also dealt with an injury to star player Kris Murray, who is averaging close to 21 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. Murray is back, but the Hawkeyes have nevertheless absorbed an interruption to their season and have needed to reintegrate Murray back into the flow of play.
These various disruptions knocked Iowa off course, as shown by the Eastern Illinois and Nebraska games plus another ugly loss at Penn State. However, the Hawkeyes have bounced back with huge wins over Indiana and Rutgers, the latter one being on the road. We will see if Iowa can maintain momentum in this game against Michigan.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Michigan-Iowa College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Michigan-Iowa Odds
Michigan Wolverines: +5.5 (-110)
Iowa Hawkeyes: -5.5 (-110)
Over: 140.5 (-105)
Under: 140.5 (-115)
How To Watch Michigan vs. Iowa
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT
*Watch LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Michigan Could Cover the Spread
This is a team which seems to be figuring things out. Michigan lost at Michigan State this past weekend, but that's a tough environment to play in against a To Izzo-coached opponent. Even good teams would have struggled in that set of circumstances. The loss does not, by itself, indicate that Michigan has a problem. Everyone will get beaten up in the Big Ten to a certain extent. Michigan played really well in the two games immediately preceding the Michigan State loss, crushing Maryland and then posting a solid 10-point win over Penn State. Coach Juwan Howard seems to be getting more from his players, especially at the defensive end of the floor. Even though UM lost to Michigan State, the Wolverines held the Spartans to 37.5-percent shooting, and under 32 percent from 3-point range. This team is definitely better than it was one month ago.
Iowa is notably erratic, too. The Hawkeyes can play a bad game at any time, and the results can be noticeably shocking. They lost to Eastern Illinois as a 31.5-point favorite, and by 16 to Nebraska as a favorite. The roster dislocations on this team also mean Iowa is not at full strength, even with the return of Kris Murray to the lineup.
Why Iowa Could Cover the Spread
The Hawkeyes are going to be very, very confident entering this game. Their back-to-back wins over Indiana and Rutgers should give the Hawkeyes markedly increased trust in their capabilities and in their system. The Rutgers game was especially encouraging because it was a tough road test. Iowa got a 17-point lead, then watched Rutgers come very close to tying the Hawkeyes. Iowa could have melted down, but instead the Hawkeyes responded with big plays at both ends of the floor. Winning by 15 would have been great, but winning the way the Hawkeyes did — facing adversity and answering the challenge — is an even better outcome for this team, which fought through a really bad patch and has been able to emerge on the other side as a tougher, more improved team.
Final Michigan-Iowa Prediction & Pick
Iowa's lineup changes and overall instability means you should probably stay away from this game, but if you make a play, lean to Michigan.
Final Michigan-Iowa Prediction & Pick: Michigan +5.5
