The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Iowa Hawkeyes engaged in a high-scoring and entertaining game last January. Will the second meeting live up to the hype? The Nittany Lions are +3500 to win the national title, while the Hawkeyes are also priced the same to win it all.
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Betting Preview for the Penn State Nittany Lions vs Iowa Hawkeyes NCAA College Basketball Game on February 29 2020
Where: Carver Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
When: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Penn State Nittany Lions (Odds) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (Odds) – view all 2020 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Penn State Nittany Lions (20-7 Overall / 10-6 Conference)
The Nittany Lions are suddenly struggling. After scoring eight straight victories, Penn State has now found itself in a two-game losing skid following back-to-back losses to the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Indiana Hoosiers. In both games, the Nittany Lions were unable to muster more than 60 points. Penn State’s offense has been a strength of the team this season, and the Nittany Lions will have to be patient in waiting for their shooting touch to come back. They definitely had that in their 89-86 win in Philly over Iowa back in January, when Penn State shot 45.8 percent from the field, though, the team went only 8 of 28 from deep. The Nittany Lions’ tough defense spelled the difference between a loss and a win in that game, as they forced Iowa to commit 15 turnovers while finishing with 11 steals to just five by Iowa.
The Nittany Lions are 16th in the nation in blocks (5.0) and 39th in steals (7.9) per game.
The Nittany Lions, who are 15th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency, are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five road games.
Betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes( 19-8 Overall / 10-6 Conference)
Iowa is back on track again. After taking an 89-77 loss in Bloomington against the Hoosiers, Luka Garza and company defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road and the Ohio State Buckeyes at home. The Hawkeyes have a meeting with the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing this Tuesday before taking on the Nittany Lions this weekend. Garza, one of the leading candidates to win the national player of the year award, powered the Hawkeyes in the Ohio State game with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. He also got support from Bakari Evelyn, who came off the bench and fired 15 points,m while Joe Wieskamp and Ryan Kriener combined for 25 points. Garza was almost unstoppable in the first meeting with Penn State, scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Wieskamp had 23 points, while Joe Toussaint had 18. However, Kriener only had eight points while Evelyn laid an egg.
The Hawkeyes, who are averaging 78.5 points per game, are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Iowa wins, 80-74.
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