Virginia vs Iowa 11/29/2021 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Iowa Hawkeyes will travel to John Paul Jones Arena to take on the Virginia Cavaliers this Monday night in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

The Iowa Hawkeyes improved to 6-0 on the season after defeating the Portland State Vikings, 85-51, this past Friday night. Iowa led by a 31-20 margin at halftime and easily pulled away in the 2^nd half after taking a 57-33 lead with 9:39 left in regulation. Iowa shot 48.5% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Portland State to shoot 30.8% from the field & 14.8% from beyond the arc. Iowa outrebounded Portland State by a 43-39 margin and won the turnover battle by a 23-13 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Hawkeyes was Keegan Murray who had 23 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, & 2 steals.

On the season, Iowa is averaging 97.2 ppg on 50.0% shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes are averaging 10.3 three-pointers per game on 38.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Iowa has been led by Keegan Murray (25.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.5 bpg), Kris Murray (12.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 bpg), Patrick McCaffery (12.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg), & Jordan Bohannon (10.0 ppg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Iowa is allowing their opponents to average 65.5 ppg on 39.9% shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes have a rebound margin of 8.3 and a turnover margin of 8.5.

The Virginia Cavaliers won their 4^th straight game and improved to 5-2 on the season after defeating the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, 61-43, this past Friday night. Virginia led by a 25-21 margin at halftime and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 45-27 lead with 11:27 left in regulation. Virginia shot 45.6% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc while holding Lehigh to just 35.3% shooting from the field & 18.8% from beyond the arc. Virginia outrebounded Lehigh by a 35-32 margin and won the turnover battle by a 15-9 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Cavaliers was Reece Beekman who had 10 poitns, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, & 4 steals.

On the season, Virginia is averaging 61.4 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Cavaliers are averaging 5.3 three-pointers per game on 32.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Virginia has been led by Jayden Gardner (13.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg), Armaan Franklin (13.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.6 spg), Kihei Clark (10.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.9 apg), & Reece Beekman (6.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.9 spg).

Defensively, Virginia is holding their opponents to an average of 53.6 ppg on 36.9% shooting from the field. The Cavaliers have a rebound margin of 0.4 and a turnover margin of 1.9.

Under is 6-0 in the Hawkeyes last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning % of greater than .600 & Under is 7-0 in the Hawkeyes last 7 road games. Under is 5-0 in the Cavaliers last 5 games overall & Under is 5-0 in the Cavaliers last 5 games following a straight up win.

Iowa has had no trouble putting up points this season, however, after you look at their schedule to date, you’ll probably realize that a major of that is due to the level of competition that they have played so far this season. Virginia is very similar to the teams we’ve seen in recent years as although the offense is ranked just 326^th in scoring offense, the Cavaliers rank 4^th in scoring defense & 23^rd in defensive FG%. Virginia has yet to allow more than 67 points this season in a single game this season which includes holding Provident to just 40 points last week, and as I expect Iowa’s offense to struggle a bit in this one, I think the score combines for less than 130. Take the Under. Good Luck!