It's a battle of two struggling Big Ten teams when the Iowa Hawkeyes visit the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night. The Terrapins sit in 12th in the conference, while the Hawkeyes are eighth. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with an Iowa-Maryland prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Iowa is regaining its form, winning three of their last five games. However, they are still performing below expectations. They've covered just once in their past seven games against an even worse team, the Michigan Wolverines. The Hawkeyes may be improving, but their two-game road losing streak and 2-6 record away from home doesn't give them much hope against a solid defensive team in Maryland.
Maryland sits 12th in the Big Ten thanks to a 5-8 conference record. They've lost five of their last seven games but managed to grab a win on the road against Iowa. The teams had a defensive clinic in their other meeting, with Maryland holding Iowa to just 67 points, an astounding number for a Hawkeyes team that averages 84.2 points per game.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa-Maryland Odds
Iowa: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +155
Maryland: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -188
Over: 143.5 (-110)
Under: 143.5 (-110)
How to Watch Iowa vs. Maryland
Time: 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Iowa Will Cover The Spread/Win
This an intriguing matchup in the statistical category, as both teams are identical in that they do one thing well and the other below average. Iowa's offense ranks 15th in the country, scoring 84.2 points per game. They shoot well, making 48% of their shots from the floor and hitting 77.9% of their free throws. However, standing across from them will be the 13th-ranked defense, allowing just 63.7 points per game. Maryland limits opponents to 40.7% from the floor, and Iowa's three-point shooting will be virtually non-existent, as Maryland limits opponents to the fifth-less attempts.
Iowa gets into trouble with their defense, as they rank 327th by allowing 78 points per game. This matchup with Maryland is an opportunity for a break from the offensive onslaught, as they average just 69.1 points. Iowa is one of the worst teams in the country at defending shots from the floor, but they will have some help that Maryland is also one of the worst shooting teams. It's hard to determine which way this game will fall, but we know it could be one of the ugliest games of the year.
Why Maryland Will Cover The Spread/Win
Iowa is a significantly worse team on the road, holding just a 2-6 record. Maryland has success at the Xfinity Center this season, boasting a 10-3 mark. Iowa's scoring average drops eight points away from home, averaging 76.2 points per game. Maryland's defense is elite wherever they play, but for what it's worth, they allow 2.5 points less at home.
Maryland's offense resurges a small amount at home, averaging 74.4 points instead of their 69.1 overall. It isn't surprising that most of Iowa's struggles this season have come on the road, as it's difficult to score points away from home and in the Big Ten. A team like Iowa, which relies solely on offense, will struggle to pick up wins on the road.
Final Iowa-Maryland Prediction & Pick
It's difficult to ignore how bad Iowa is on the road. Maryland hasn't been much better, but they pick up their game at the Xfinity Center. This won't be a great basketball display, and Iowa's offense was the only exciting thing in this game. However, they are coming up against one of the best defenses they've played so far and average eight fewer points on the road. Maryland's defense will shut down Iowa's offense, and not even the Hawkeyes' poor defending will help the Terrapins score many points.
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Final Iowa-Maryland Prediction & Pick: Under 143.5 (-110)
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