Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-6) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (12-8)
January 29, 2023 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa Hawkeyes -4.5 / Rutgers Scarlet Knights +4.5 ; Over/Under: 145.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Sunday in college basketball action from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Rutgers is 14-6 overall this year and fresh off a win versus Penn State. As for Iowa, they’re sitting at 12-8 so far following a loss to Michigan State on Thursday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers managed an 11-5 run through their first 16 games, falling to Temple, Miami-FL, Ohio State, Seton Hall and Iowa in that time. The Scarlet Knights are 3-1 in their last four with wins over Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.
On Tuesday versus the Nittany Lions, Rutgers went into the locker room with a 32-24 edge. The Knights hit a 33-21 advantage from there and won it 65-45. Clifford Omoruyi managed a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Over on the Iowa side, they lost to TCU, Duke, Wisconsin, Eastern Illinois, Nebraska and Penn State in their first 16 outings. The Hawkeyes are 2-2 in their last four with wins over Michigan and Maryland before losses to Ohio State and Michigan State.
Matched up against Michigan State on Thursday, Iowa was within one point going into the second half. The Hawkeyes were outscored 33-32 from there in a tough 63-61 loss. Ahron Ulis led the team on 17 points and three assists.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stay with Iowa in this one. You could make a case either way, though; this should be a pretty close matchup. The last time these teams met back on January 8 at the RAC, Rutgers posted a flat 42-30 deficit in the first half on the way to a 76-65 loss. The Knights shot a tepid 38.1 percent from the field with just 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from 3-point range. Rutgers hasn’t been scoring super well lately; they’ve hit 65 or fewer points in five of their last six outings. If Iowa can get off to a good start on the scoreboard here I think they’ll be okay cover-wise. Should be a fun game to watch regardless, though.
