The Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Iowa Michigan prediction and pick. Find how to watch Iowa Michigan.
The Iowa Hawkeyes and Michigan Wolverines are going through very difficult regular seasons, particularly Michigan. Iowa is not having fun at 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, but it's worse in Ann Arbor, where Michigan is 7-12 and just 2-6 in Big Ten competition. Michigan has no chance of getting an at-large berth for the NCAA Tournament, and it's not even February. The Wolverines went through a downward spiral and haven't been able to spin out of it. Coach Juwan Howard led Michigan to a No. 1 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines came just short of making the Final Four, and it seemed that Howard — a member of the famed Fab Five from the early 1990s — was going to have a coaching career every bit as productive as his Michigan playing career.
Subsequent seasons have derailed that dream. Michigan's trajectory has been clear and downward. Michigan is not going to leave this season with a ton of confidence for the road ahead. Howard will need to make significant roster upgrades in the transfer portal. Losing Hunter Dickinson in the previous offseason dealt the Wolverines a severe blow they haven't been able to adjust to.
Iowa hasn't been a whole lot better than Michigan, but the Hawkeyes — if they can string together several wins — might at least be able to enter the at-large conversation. They're not particularly close right now, however, which reduces this team's margin for error.
Here are the Iowa-Michigan College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa-Michigan Odds
Iowa Hawkeyes: +1.5 (-110)
Michigan Wolverines: -1.5 (-110)
Over: 164.5 (-115)
Under: 164.5 (-105)
How To Watch Iowa vs Michigan
Time: 5:00 pm ET / 2:00 pm PT
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Iowa Could Cover the Spread
The Michigan Wolverines just aren't very good. There isn't a whole lot else to say about a team which is 7-12 and four games under .500 in conference play. Michigan loses different kinds of games, the mark of a below-average team. The Wolverines allowed 99 and 88 points in recent losses to Purdue and Illinois. They scored just 57 points in a loss to Maryland earlier in the month of January. Some teams are bad or at least inconsistent at one end of the floor. Michigan is inconsistent at both ends of the floor, the worst possible recipe for success. Iowa scores a lot, so in light of the reality that Michigan has allowed very high point totals in recent games, the Hawkeyes should feel they can score at least 80 points if not more. If they do that, they will fancy their chances, even on the road in Ann Arbor.
Why Michigan Could Cover the Spread
The Iowa Hawkeyes have not been a good defensive team under coach Fran McCaffery. Iowa has consistently struggled to deliver results at that end of the floor. Iowa has been limited as a program under McCaffery precisely because it has played too many games in which it can't consistently get defensive stops. It is a problem Fran has simply not been able to solve. Iowa will always be vulnerable on the road as a result of this deficiency.
Final Iowa-Michigan Prediction & Pick
These teams are unreliable. Stay away from this game entirely.
Final Iowa-Michigan Prediction & Pick: Michigan -1.5
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