Big Ten rivals will battle it out Wednesday night as the Iowa Hawkeyes (17-10, 9-7) take on the Wisconsin Badgers (15-11, 7-9). The Badgers will host this one at the Kohl Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
This is essentially a pick’em game between the two teams. The Hawkeyes’ moneyline is -114, while the Badgers’ moneyline is -105. The over/under for total points is 139.5 (-110).
Hawkeyes Look To Bounce Back On The Road
After a rough 80-60 road loss to No. 21 Northwestern on Sunday, the Hawkeyes will try to bounce back on Wednesday against Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes desperately need to play better on the road, where they are just 3-6 to date.
Offensively, they continue to be one of the best teams in the nation. They rank 16th in scoring, averaging 80.3 points per game. Unfortunately, on the road, that average is just 69.1.
They are led by junior forward Kris Murray, who is averaging 20.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Other contributors include Filip Rebraca (13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds), Tony Perkins (11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds), and Patrick McCaffery (10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds).
Defensively, the Hawkeyes rank 262nd overall, allowing opponents an average of 73.7 points per game.
Iowa Looking To Sweep Season Series
Back on December 11, the Badgers were able to stun Iowa 78-75 on the Hawkeyes’ home floor. Now playing at home, Wisconsin would love to sweep the season series against their Big Ten rivals.
In that victory, Tyler Wahl led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds. The Badgers have four players in total averaging double digits in Wahl (11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds), Connor Essegian (11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds), Steven Crowl (11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds), and Chucky Hepburn (12.5 points, three rebounds).
As a unit, the offense has struggled this year. They rank just 322nd in scoring, averaging 64.7 points per game.
Defensively, they are much better as they rank 24th overall, allowing opponents just 63.2 points per game.
The Badgers come into this one off of a 58-57 road loss to Rutgers in their last outing. They are 8-5 on the season at home.
Take Iowa To Win On The Road
Looking at the trends, the Hawkeyes are 5-2 in their last seven games overall and 4-2 in their last six against Wisconsin. In their last five road games, though, they are just 1-4 straight up.
For the Badgers, they are 4-9 in their last 13 games and just 3-13 against the spread in their last 16 games. In their last 17 home games versus the Hawkeyes, they are 14-3.
This one is a tough one to call. On the one hand, Iowa has a great offense, but they are lousy on the road. On the other hand, Wisconsin and their great defense are mediocre at home, and they are atrocious on the offensive side.
While this one could be close throughout the first half, expect Iowa to get their revenge and pick up the road win over the Badgers. Take Iowa to win straight up at -114.
