Penn State vs Iowa 1/31/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Iowa Hawkeyes will travel to the Bryce Jordan Center to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions this Monday night in College Basketball action.

The Iowa Hawkeyes dropped to 14-6 on the season after being defeated by the 6^th ranked Purdue Boilermakers, 83-73, this past Thursday. Iowa was dominated on both ends of the court against Purdue and could not fight back after the Boilermakers took a 77-64 lead with 6:13 left in regulation. Iowa shot 37.5% from the field & 29.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Purdue to shoot 61.2% from the field & 59.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hawkeyes was Keegan Murray who had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Iowa is averaging 82.6 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 33.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Iowa has been led by Keegan Murray (22.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 2.1 bpg), Patrick McCaffery (10.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.8 apg), Kris Murray (10.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.1 apg), & Jordan Bohannon (10.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.4 apg).

Defensviely, Iowa is allowing their opponents to an average of 70.0 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes have a rebound margin of 0.6 and a turnover margin of 6.0.

The Penn State Nittany Lions lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 8-9 on the season after being defeated by the Indiana Hoosiers, 74-57, this past Wednesday. Penn State struggled on both ends of the court against Indiana and had no chance in fighting back into this one after going into halftime trailing by a 46-17 margin. Penn State shot 33.3% from the field & 34.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Indiana to shoot 51.0% from the field & 76.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Nittany Lions was Jalen Pickett who had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Penn State is averaging 65.0 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Nittany Lions are averaging 8.0 three-pointers per game on 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Penn State has been led by Jalen Pickett (13.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.4 apg), Seth Lundy (13.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Sam Sessoms (11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg), & John Harrar (10.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg).

Defensively, Penn State is holding their opponents to an average of 65.5 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Nittany Lions have a rebound margin of 3.8 and a turnover margin of -3.6.

The Hawkeyes are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games, however, just 1-2 ATS in their last 3 road games. The Nittany Lions are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.

Iowa has been led by their offense which ranks 7^th in scoring offense, 80^th in FG%, & t-106^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Hawkeyes have struggled a bit on the defensive end as they currently rank just 210^th in scoring defense & 212^th in defensive FG%. Penn State has been led by their defense which ranks 81^st in scoring defense & 86^th in rebound margin, however, the offense has struggled to put up points this season as they currently rank just 305^th in scoring offense.

Iowa is a solid offensive team, however, the Hawkeyes are just 2-4 on the road and I think are going to struggle against an above average Penn State defense. Iowa had no trouble taking care of business against Penn State earlier this season, however, the Nittany Lions have been impressive at home with wins over Indiana & Rutgers and as I think that Penn State, at worst, keeps this game close, I’m taking the Nittany Lions and the points. Good Luck!