Utah (8-2) vs. Iowa (8-3)
December 21, 2024 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa -1.5; Over/Under: +164.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Utah Utes and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Iowa vs Utah Prediction.
Utah Recap
The Utah Utes come into this one looking to build on their 89-59 win over Florida A&M last time out. After this game, Utah will take on Baylor on the road to kick off conference play.
Utes Win Back-To-Back Games
Gabe Madsen leads the Utes in scoring with 19.8 PPG while Ezra Ausar has 11.1 PPG with 4.5 RPG and Mason Madsen has 11.1 PPG. Lawson Lovering has 11.4 PPG with 6.4 RPG in 5 games so far this season to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Utah up to this point in the season. Miro Little has 8.4 PPG with 5.6 RPG and a team-high 5.4 APG to lead the Utes in the assist department while Keanu Dawes has 7.4 PPG with 5.8 RPG and Mike Sharavjamts has 8.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.3 APG. As a team, Utah is averaging 86.6 PPG on 48.6% shooting from the field, 38.2% from three and 64.2% from the foul line this season.
Why the Utah Utes will win
- Utah has won 17 of its last 20 games against non-Conference opponents.
- Iowa has lost three of its last four games against the Big 12 Conference.
Iowa Recap
The Iowa Hawkeyes come into this game looking to build on their 104-57 win over New Orleans last time out. After this game, Iowa will take on New Hampshire before starting conference play.
Hawkeyes Looking To Build Momentum
Owen Freeman leads the Hawkeyes in scoring and rebounding with 17.2 PPG and 6.5 RPG while Payton Sandfort has 16 PPG with 5.6 RPG and 3.7 APG. Josh Dix has 13.4 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 2.9 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Iowa up to this point in the year. Brock Harding also has 9.8 PPG with a team-high 6.2 APG and 2.4 APG to lead the Hawkeyes in assists and steals while Pryce Sandfort has 9.1 PPG and Drew Thelwell has 8.4 PPG with 3.3 APG. As a team, Iowa is averaging 87.2 PPG on 49.9% shooting from the field, 38.2% from three and 67.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win
- Iowa has won seven of its last eight day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Utah has lost four of its last five games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues.
Iowa vs Utah Prediction
I’m on Iowa here. I get why you could look at Utah as the Utes have had some solid offensive outputs this season. However, they’ve done so against the weakest schedule in the country and this is where the rubber meets the road for Utah and I’m not sure they’ll be able to hold their own in this spot. The Hawkeyes have played a much tougher schedule and have held their own offensively, and I think that they can do enough on a neutral floor to get the win over the Utes here. Give me Iowa.
