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It is a Monday Big Ten battle as Iowa faced Minnesota. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Iowa-Minnesota prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Iowa enters the game at 10-6 on the year, but 2-3 in conference play. Still, they have won their last two games, and the last time out it was convincingly. They faced Nebraska last time out, who was coming off an upset of Purdue. Iowa controlled the first half, not surrendering the lead throughout, and holding a five points lead at halftime. Nebraska made the game tight in the early part of the second half, having it tied with 16:36 left to go, but Iowa took off from there. They would dominate the rest of the game, winning 94-76.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is 12-4 on the year and sitting 3-2 in conference play. They were on a seven-game winning streak, including beating Michigan and Maryland, but last time out, faced Indiana. Indiana dominated the game. They would have a nine-point lead at the half and then would extend the lead in the second half. Indiana would end up with a 21-point lead during the second half, and go on to win 74-62.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa-Minnesota Odds
Iowa: +1.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -104
Minnesota: -1.5 (-112)
Moneyline: -125
Over: 158.5 (-110)
Under: 158.5 (-110)
How to Watch Iowa vs. Minnesota
Time: 6:00 PM ET/ 3:00 PM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Iowa Will Cover The Spread
Iowa ranks 47th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency this year, sitting 18th on offense, but 118th on the defensive efficiency side of the ball. Iowa ranks sixth in the nation in points per game this year, while also sitting third in the nation in assists per game. Further, they are third in the nation in field goal attempts per game this year. Ben Krikke comes in playing great. He is averaging 16.4 points per game this year while shooting 59.0 percent from the field on the year. Meanwhile, Both Payton Sandfort and Tony Perkins come in shooting well. Sandfort is averaging 14.5 points per game on the year while Perkins is averaging 13.9 points per game. Both are shooting over 43 percent as well, and both have been good at distributing. Sandfort comes in with 2.9 assists per game, while Perkins has 4.2 assists per game. While Iowa is averaging 19.8 assists per game, it is a team effort. Perkins leads the team with 4.2 assists per game, while Brock Harding sits second with 3.1 assists per game on the year.
Iowa has been solid rebounding this year, sitting 54th in the nation on the boards. This is led by Payton Sandfort, who has 7.1 rebounds per game this year. Meanwhile, Owen Freeman and Ben Krikke have also been solid. Freeman is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game this year while Krikke comes in with 5.4 rebounds per game.
The biggest weak spot for Iowa is its defense. They are 291st in the nation in points allowed per game this year. One bright spot is Owen Freeman. He comes in with 1.1 steals per game while also averaging 1.9 blocks per game on the year. Further, Tony Perkins is averaging 1.8 steals per game.
Why Minnesota Will Cover The Spread
Minnesota sits 84th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year, sitting 91st in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 87th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 66th in points per game this year but do sit sixth in assists per game on the season. The offense is led by Dawson Garcia. He comes into the game averaging 16.5 points per game this uyear, while also having 2.1 assists per game. Beyond him, four other players are averaging just over 10 points per game. Further, Elijah Hawkins comes in averaging 7.7 assists per game this year, while averaging 8.6 points per game of his own.
On the board, Minnesota is 67th in the nation in rebounds per game. The rounding game is led by Garcia as well. He comes in with 7.7 rebounds per game this year. Second on the team is Pharrel Payne, who has 5.7 rebounds per game, while being one of the four players with over ten points per game. He has 10.2 points per game while shooting 67 percent from the field.
The defense has been solid, sitting 60th in the nation in points per game, but sits 16th in three-point attempts against per game, limiting the outside game. Hawkins is also a leader here. He comes in with 1.9 steals per game, but he does turnover the ball a lot with 2.7 turnovers per game this year.
Final Iowa-Minnesota Prediction & Pick
Minnesota is the favorite in this game, but a lot of that has to do with their record. Iowa is the better offensive team and is the more effecient team. Their poor defense may keep Minnesota in this game, but it will not be enough. Iowa is better on the boards and can control the pace of the game to their liking. If Minnesota gets down, it will be up to Mike Mitchell Jr. to pull them out of that. He is Minnesota's top three-point shooter, hitting 40 percent on his 85 attempts. Still, with the rebounding advantage, he will have to shoot at or above his season average to keep the effecient Iowa offense at bay. Take Iowa in this one as the underdog.
Final Iowa-Minnesota Prediction & Pick: Iowa ML (-104)
