Two middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams face off as Iowa faces Penn State. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Iowa-Penn State prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Iowa enters the game sitting at 13-9 on the year, but just 5-6 in conference play this year. Still, they have lost three of the last five games. First, it was a 14-point loss to Purdue, and then a two-point loss to Maryland. Maryland trailed at the half by six in the game and would find themselves down by six with just 4:43 left in the game. Still, Iowa would fail to score for nearly three and half minutes as Maryland returned and would go on to win 69-67. They would rebound and beat Michigan by two, but then fall to Indiana by six. Last time out, it was a win. It was a tight game with Ohio State, with neither team taking a large lead in the game, but Iowa would win 79-77.
Meanwhile, Penn State is 11-11 on the year and also 5-6 in conference play. After losing four of five, with the only win being the upset of Wisconsin, they have won their last two games. First, it was a dominating performance over Rutgers, where they led most of the game and would win 61-46. The next time out, they faced Indiana. Penn State was down by four at the half but went on a 12-2 run to open the second half. This would build a lead that Indaiana could not come back from as they won 85-71.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa-Penn State Odds
Iowa: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -120
Penn State: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 161.5 (-115)
Under: 161.5 (-105)
How to Watch Iowa vs. Penn State
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Iowa Will Cover The Spread/Win
Iowa ranks 50th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency this year, sitting 20th on offense, but 124th on the defensive efficiency side of the ball. Iowa ranks 11th in the nation in points per game this year, while also sitting sixth in the nation in assists per game. Further, they are ninth in the nation in field goal attempts per game this year. Tony Perkins leads the way on offense this year, coming in with 15.7 points per game on the season. Further, he leads the team with 4.1 assists per game on the season.
Meanwhile, Payton Sandfort comes in with 15.0 points per game. Rounding out the top scorers is Ben Krikke, who comes in with 14.7 points per game, and has been great shooting the ball. He is shooting 53.8 percent on the season.
Iowa is 105th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. This is led by Payton Sandfort, who has 6.7 rebounds per game this year. Meanwhile, Owen Freeman and Ben Krikke have also been solid. Freeman is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game this year while Krikke comes in with 4.9 rebounds per game. Freeman has been the best on the offensive glass this year, with 51 of his 132 rebounds coming there, while Sandfort has 121 of 148 rebounds on defense.
The biggest weak spot for Iowa is its defense. They are 296th in the nation in points allowed per game this year. Still, they are 87th in the nation in opponent turnovers per game this year. One bright spot is Tony Perkins. He comes into the game with 1.8 steals per game, while also having just 1.5 turnovers per game. Further, Owen Freeman has one steal per game while having 1.6 blocks per game this year.
Why Penn State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Penn State is 93rd in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year, sitting 82nd in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 114th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Penn State is 96th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 193rd in effective field goal percentage this year. Kanye Clary leads the way on offense. He comes in with 18.4 points per game this year while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Ace Baldwin Jr. is next on the team, with 13.6 points per game, while also leading the team in assists. He has 5.2 assists per game this year. Rounding out the top scorers is Qudus Wahab. While he has just 9.5 points per game, he is shooting 64.2 percent from the field.
Penn State is 309th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. They are outside the top 200 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages. Wahab leads the way hee. He comes in with 8.0 rebounds per game this year. Still, he is the primary rebounder, having a quarter of the team's rebounds per game. Second on the team is Nick Kern Jr. who has just four rebounds per game this year.
Penn State is 193rd in opponent points per game this year while sitting 210th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Wahab has been solid on defense as well. He has 1.4 blocks per game this year, while also having .8 steals per game. Further, Kern and Clary both have a steal per game, but they also both average over 1.8 turnovers per game this year.
Final Iowa-Penn State Prediction & Pick
Iowa has been struggling some as of late. They have covered just once in their last four games, with the only cover being a win over Michigan as an underdog. Meanwhile, Penn State has covered in four of their last six games, but in conference play, has failed to cover as a favorite. This should be a tight game though. While Iowa is better on offense, their defense is horrible. They will have control of the rebounding game overall, but it will not make a difference if Penn State can easily get to the basket. Overall, expect this to be decided by under 5 points.
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Final Iowa-Penn State Prediction & Pick: Penn State: +1.5 (-110)
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