Scarlet Knights vs. Hawkeyes Prediction
A battle of ranked teams in the Big Ten Conference is on the docket tonight as the 19th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes host the 24th-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Can Rutgers put together an impressive performance on the road and stay within the number?
Game Snapshot
839 Rutgers Scarlet Knights at 840 Iowa Hawkeyes
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 9PM ET
TV: BTN
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According to oddsmakers, the Hawkeyes are a 5.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 138 points. As of Wednesday morning, 71 percent of public bets are siding with host Iowa. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Scarlet Knights bottle up Golden Gophers
Rutgers earned a 64-56 home win Sunday over Minnesota to improve to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in Big Ten play to secure its first top 25 ranking in over four decades. The Scarlet Knights led 34-25 at halftime and held on from there. Montez Mathis helped pace a balanced Rutgers scoring attack with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 2-of-2 from 3-point distance plus 1-of-1 at the free throw line. He also recorded three rebounds and two steals. Ron Harper Jr. contributed 11 points and three boards. Jacob Young accounted for 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Caleb McConnell added 10 points and 12 caroms.
Hawkeyes get past Wolverines
Iowa secured a 90-83 home win Friday night over Michigan to move to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play. The Hawkeyes led 47-43 at halftime and held on from there. Luka Garza paced Iowa as he poured in 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting including 2-of-3 from 3-point range plus 11-of-13 at the charity stripe. He also pulled down seven rebounds. C.J. Fredrick tallied 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. Joe Wieskamp contributed 20 points, five boards and three assists. Ryan Kriener added 14 points, three assists and two caroms off the bench.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as an underdog. Rutgers is 8-2-2 ATS in its last 12 Wednesday games.
Iowa
The Hawkeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as a home favorite. The favorite is 0-6 ATS in the last six meetings.
Prediction:
I don’t really want to fade a Rutgers team playing with a ton of confidence right now. The Scarlet Knights have leaned heavily on their defense, which is ranked seventh nationally in adjusted efficiency. While Iowa has a dynamic offense, it should be slowed down somewhat by Rutgers. With the Hawkeyes also having some defensive deficiencies, I’m liking the Scarlet Knights to keep it close throughout.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS +5.5