The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Bloomington Assembly Hall. Here’s an Indiana vs Iowa prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Indiana vs Iowa pick.
Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview
Iowa kicked off their season with a 7-0 run that left the team blemish-free through the month of November. The Hawkeyes would then hit a 1-2 stretch in early December featuring losses to Michigan State and Iowa State sandwiched around a win over Maryland. After wins over Western Michigan, Bucknell, UMass Lowell and UCLA, Iowa lost to Minnesota and Illinois in the next pair. That would give Iowa a 12-4 record in their first 16 games of the year.
On Wednesday versus Purdue, the Hawkeyes were up 34-31 by the end of the first half. Iowa was outscored 48-38 the rest of the way however, leading to a 79-72 loss in the end on the road. Bennett Stirtz was the top team scorer on 19 points with four assists and three rebounds. Kael Combs added 16 points with five rebounds and two assists while Cam Manyawu put up 13 points and three rebounds.
Indiana Hoosiers Betting Preview
Over on the Indiana side, they were also able to win their first seven straight games this year for a spotless November run. The Hoosiers would then lose three of the next four games versus Minnesota, Louisville and Kentucky. Indiana would then beat Chicago State, Siena, Washington and Maryland before two more losses to Nebraska and Michigan State. In 17 games so far this year, Indiana has a 12-5 record in the books.
Matched up against Michigan State on Tuesday the Hoosiers entered the second half sporting a 39-32 deficit. Indiana was outscored 42-28 the rest of the way, so they didn’t get any closer in an eventual loss 81-60. The team’s only double-digit scorer was Lamar Wilkerson with 19 points and one assist. Tucker DeVries added nine points with three assists and two rebounds in the losing effort as well.
Why the Indiana Hoosiers will win
- Indiana has won each of its last 12 home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Iowa has lost each of its last four road games.
- Indiana has won the first half in each of its last 11 games at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win
- Iowa has won each of its last nine day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Iowa has won the first half in each of its last six day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Indiana vs Iowa Prediction
I’ll take a stab on Indiana but this one’s a coin flip. The Hoosiers got beaten pretty badly in a road matchup versus a very good Michigan State team this week, giving up 50.9 percent shooting from the field and getting blasted on the boards 33-16. Indiana didn’t shoot terribly themselves (42.9 percent) but also had a 32-22 deficit on points in the paint and 12 turnovers. The Hoosiers are still 4-2 in the last six games though, scoring 77 or more points in five of the six outings.
As for Iowa, they lost steam in the second half against a very good Purdue team back on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes gave up 52.9 percent shooting from the field and had a 24-20 rebounding deficit alongside 13 turnovers. The good news is that Iowa shot well themselves (52.9 percent); the bad news is that they only got to the line 10 times (making six) to the Boilermakers’ 22 (making 19) and got outscored in the paint 32-22. Iowa is 0-3 in the last three (tough) games, but to be fair two were on the road and none was decided by more than seven points. All things considered, this matchup should be a pretty fun one to watch.