Northwestern Wildcats vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, 12/29/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Northwestern (+11)

The Northwestern Wildcats (6-1) go to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday where they'll meet the Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2). The odds on this game have Iowa as 11-point favorites. The over/under opens at 157.5.

Northwestern heads into this matchup with a record of 6-1 on the campaign. They are averaging 85.3 points per contest (30th in college hoops) while connecting on 48.6% from the floor. The Wildcats are connecting on 42.2% on three-point shots (70 of 166) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Northwestern is grabbing 39.4 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 141 assists for the campaign, which ranks 33rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 10.4 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. When they are on defense, the Wildcats are forcing 12.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.4 personal fouls. They currently rank 218th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 96 conceded on the season. The Wildcats are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 37.8% (161 of 426) and they surrender 32.9 boards per contest as a group. They surrender 27.5% on three-point shots and they are 48th in college basketball in points per game allowed (62.3).

The Northwestern Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against the Ohio State Buckeyes and walked away with a win by a score of 71-70 in their last contest. Northwestern ended the contest with a 48.3% FG percentage (28 out of 58) and buried 6 of their 16 three-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Wildcats buried 9 of 14 shots for a percentage of 64.3%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 24 with 4 of them being offensive. They also doled out 24 dimes in the matchup in addition to getting 7 steals and 5 blocked shots. In relation to the defense, Northwestern let their opponent shoot 48.3% from the floor on 28 out of 58 shooting. Ohio State distributed 16 assists and had 3 steals for the game. Moreover, the Buckeyes totaled 40 rebounds (11 offensive, 29 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Ohio State went 80.0% when shooting free throws by burying 12 of their 15 tries. They made 4 out of their 20 attempts from 3-point land.

Miller Kopp is one guy who was a factor for the contest. He totaled 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He was on the court for 32 mins and also snagged 2 boards. Kopp finished 56.3% from the floor and also recorded 3 dimes. An additional guy that was a major factor in the matchup for the Wildcats was Boo Buie. He grabbed 2 boards and also accounted for 5 assists. He finished the contest at 54.5% from the floor for the game by going 6-of-11 (14 points). In all, Buie was on the court for 30 min.

Iowa has a record of 7-2 for the season. Iowa has 856 pts for the season (95.1 per game) and they snag 43.0 rebounds per contest. The Hawkeyes are committing 15.6 personal fouls every game and they shoot 71.4% from the free throw line. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes are shooting 48.0% from the field, which ranks them 91st in D-1. They are assisting teammates 22.0 times per game (2nd in college basketball) and they are turning it over 9.6 times per contest. The Hawkeyes on the defensive end are ranked 249th in college basketball in points given up per game with 74.1. They have relinquished 16.6 assists and 39.3 rebounds every game, which ranks 308th and 291st in college hoops. The Iowa defense surrenders 34.4% on shots from beyond the arc (78 of 227) and opponents are converting on 67.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing 15.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.1% from the field (127th in D-1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Iowa Hawkeyes took a loss by a final score of 102-95 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Hawkeyes were able to collect 26 defensive rebounds and 21 offensive rebounds totaling 47 for the game. They also rejected 2 shots while recording 6 steals in this contest. The Golden Gophers committed 23 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Hawkeyes to the free throw line for a total of 38 shots. They were able to make 27 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 71.1%. When talking about shooting from distance, Iowa made 10 of 30 attempts (33.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hawkeyes finished shooting 29 for 78 from the field which gave them a rate of 37.2%. The Hawkeyes permitted the Golden Gophers to convert 30 of 67 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.8% in this game. They wrapped up this game 39.5% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 17 of 43 and walked away from this one shooting 25 of 29 from the charity stripe (86.2%). Concerning rebounds, Iowa permitted Minnesota to grab 35 in all (11 offensive).

Luka Garza was important for the Hawkeyes in this game. He made 11 out of 27 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 40.7%, which had him sitting at 32 points. Garza snagged 17 boards in his 39 minutes played and had 2 assists for the matchup. An additional guy who came through for Iowa was CJ Fredrick. He notched 23 points in his 39 minutes played by way of 7 out of 12 from the floor in the matchup. Fredrick wrapped this one up going 58.3% from the floor while also earning 2 assists and 2 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northwestern (+11)

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