The Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes last Christmas Day. This time, the Hawkeyes look to avenge that loss, as they host Richard Pitino and his boys at Carver-Hawkeyes Arena this coming Sunday. Check out our preview of this game below.
The trip to Ann Arbor was a forgettable one for the Golden Gophers last Wednesday, as they got whooped by the Michigan Wolverines, 82-57. Minnesota’s offense went pale against the Wolverines. The Golden Gophers went just 22 of 68 for a 32.4 field goal shooting percentage. They couldn’t buy a basket from deep either, going 7 of 28 on their 3-point attempts. But Minnesota thinks it can get its shooting prowess back when the team meets the Hawkeyes again. Minnesota shot 44.8 FG% and hit 17 3-pointers in its 102-95 win over the Hawkeyes at home on Christmas Day. Marcus Carr had 30 points and eight assists in that win, while Liam Robbins churned out 18 points and five rebounds to help Iowa score an upset victory as a 6.5-point underdog. The Golden Gophers are averaging 79.7 points per game and allowing 73.2.
The under is 4-0 in Minnesota’s four games overall.
Luka Garza was too much to handle for the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, as he led the Hawkeyes to an 89-67 win in College Park. That’s the Hawkeyes’ third win in a row. Before the Maryland game, Garza and company defeated the No. 19 Northwestern Wildcats and the No. 14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Garza, the conference’s leading scorer, had 24 points on 9of-14 shooting from the field to go with seven rebounds and four assists. He also drained a couple of 3-pointers just to send a stronger message to Minnesota’s defense. On the season, Garza is averaging 27.5 points per game and 9.1 boards per contest — third in the Big Ten. Garza is also a force on the defensive end, as he’s averaging 2.0 blocks per contest. With Garza as the focal point, Iowa’s offense has become arguably the best in the nation. Garza had 32 points (11-27 FG) in the loss to Minnesota. The Hawkeyes are averaging 92.7 points per game, and they’re not just doing it by relying too much on Garza. In fact, the Hawkeyes are tops in the nation with 20.7 assists per game.
Iowa is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
