Iowa Hawkeyes vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 1/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Iowa (-2)

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-1) play the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-2) at Rutgers Athletic Center on Saturday. The spread on this contest has Iowa as 2-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 159.

Iowa heads into this game with a win-loss record of 8-2 on the campaign. They turn the ball over 9.4 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 15.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Iowa is collecting 42.3 boards per contest and is sitting with 215 dimes on the season, which is 1st in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Hawkeyes are shooting 37.2% on shots from downtown (107 of 288) and 72.2% from the free throw line. They have an average of 94.3 pts per game (4th in D-1) while hitting 48.0% from the field. Defensively, the Hawkeyes have forced 15.0 turnovers every game and they draw 20.6 fouls. The Hawkeyes are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.4% (273 of 660) and they surrender 38.6 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 327th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 164 conceded for the campaign. They are giving up 35.3% on three-point shots and they rank 249th in college basketball in points per game allowed (73.9).

The Iowa Hawkeyes faced off with the Northwestern Wildcats and notched a win by a score of 87-72 in their last contest. Iowa finished having earned a 48.3% field goal percentage (28 out of 58) and made 11 out of their 26 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Hawkeyes made 20 of 25 tries for a rate of 80.0%. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they earned 32 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 17 assists in this matchup while having 6 steals and 2 blocks. In regard to defense, Iowa allowed the other team to go 48.3% from the floor on 28 of 58 shooting. Northwestern doled out 15 dimes and had 5 steals for this game. Additionally, the Wildcats pulled down 30 rebounds (8 offensive, 22 defensive) and had 2 blocks. Northwestern finished shooting 75.0% at the free throw line by converting 9 of 12 shots. They also made 11 of their 25 attempts from distance.

Jordan Bohannon is one guy who was a contributor in the matchup. He finished with 24 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 mins played and also totaled 5 rebounds. Bohannon finished the game at 63.6% from the floor and earned 5 assists. Another guy that was a major contributor in this matchup for the Hawkeyes was CJ Fredrick. He had 3 boards and also accounted for 2 dimes. He ended up shooting 60.0% from the field for this game by connecting on 6-of-10 (19 points). Overall, Fredrick was on the court for 34 min.

Rutgers has a win-loss record of 7-1 this year. Rutgers has accounted for 645 pts for the year (80.6 per game) and they pull down 38.5 rebounds per game. The Scarlet Knights have committed 16.5 fouls per game and they connect on 62.4% from the charity stripe. When it comes to offensive execution, the Scarlet Knights are shooting 49.8% from the floor, which ranks them 52nd in the country. They are earning an assist 16.4 times per contest (57th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.0 times per contest. The Scarlet Knights on the defensive side of the court are 189th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 70.9. They have given up 13.6 assists and 34.9 rebounds every game, which ranks them 215th and 155th in college basketball. The Rutgers defense gives up 30.0% on three-point shots (54 of 180) and their opponents are converting on 71.3% of their free throw attempts. They have forced 12.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 41.9% from the floor (156th in D-1).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights got the win with a final of 81-76 when they played the Purdue Boilermakers. The Scarlet Knights collected 23 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds totaling 27 in the game. They also blocked 3 shots while recording 7 steals for the matchup. The Boilermakers were called for 15 fouls for this contest which took the Scarlet Knights to the free throw line for 17 tries. They were able to knock down 14 of those for a clip of 82.4%. Concerning 3-pointers, Rutgers buried 11 out of their 21 attempts (52.4%). At the conclusion of this game, the Scarlet Knights walked away from this one shooting 28 out of 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0%. The Scarlet Knights allowed the Boilermakers to make 29 of 59 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 49.2% for the game. They finished the game shooting 26.9% from beyond the perimeter via 7 out of 26 and ended up shooting 11 out of 14 at the free throw line (78.6%). With respect to rebounding, Rutgers permitted Purdue to get 31 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Montez Mathis ended up having an impact for the Scarlet Knights in this game. He made 9 out of 15 in this game giving him a rate of 60.0%, which gave him 25 points. Mathis snagged 5 boards in his 28 minutes played and accumulated 2 assists in this matchup. Another guy that played a role for Rutgers was Geo Baker. He scored 19 points in 37 minutes played via 7 of 15 from the floor in the matchup. Baker ended the game having shot 46.7% from the field while also earning 4 dimes and 6 rebounds.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Iowa (-2)

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