Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 2/28/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Friday, February 28, 2025

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Providence, RI

TV: FS1

The Northwestern Wildcats (15-13) host the Iowa Hawkeyes (15-13) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday.

The Iowa Hawkeyes played Illinois and ended up losing by a score of 81-61 in their last contest. Iowa finished the game with a 42.1% FG percentage (24 of 57) and made 6 of their 18 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Hawkeyes buried 7 of their 9 tries for a rate of 77.8%. When discussing rebounding, they compiled a total of 34 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 14 dimes for this contest in addition to creating 5 turnovers and having 1 steal. In the matter of defense, Iowa allowed 50.8% from the floor on 32 of 63 shooting. Illinois totaled 17 assists and had 7 steals for the game. Furthermore, Illinois collected 29 rebounds (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Illinois finished the game shooting 66.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 8 of their 12 tries. They also converted 9 of their 29 shots from downtown. When it comes to fouls, the Hawkeyes finished with 13 while Illinois racked up 12 fouls.

Brock Harding is a player who was a contributor for the contest. He was able to score 16 points on 6 out of 12 shooting. He played for 37 minutes played and also snagged 3 rebounds. He finished 50.0% from the field and distributed 4 assists.

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Iowa will enter this matchup with a mark of 15-13 this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.2 times per contest and as a team they are committing 14.9 fouls per game. As a unit, Iowa is snagging 32.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 513 assists on the campaign, which is 6th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Hawkeyes are shooting 37.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (273 of 723) and 70.5% from the free throw line. They average 83.1 points per contest (16th in Division 1) while shooting 49.0% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Hawkeyes are forcing 13.6 turnovers per game and they draw 16.0 fouls. They give up 34.7% on 3-point attempts while they are 345th in the country in PPG allowed (79.5). The Hawkeyes are allowing a shooting percentage of 48.2% (840 of 1,742) and they surrender 36.9 boards per contest as a group. They rank 342nd in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 452 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Northwestern Wildcats got the victory with a final of 75-63 when they played Minnesota. The Wildcats earned 23 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 28 in this game. They turned the ball over 8 times, while getting 6 steals for this game. Minnesota was called for 17 personal fouls in this game which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 16 tries. They were able to make 10 of the free throw tries for a clip of 62.5%. Regarding 3-pointers, Northwestern converted 9 out of their 19 tries (47.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats ended up going 28 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.1%. The Wildcats allowed Minnesota to knock down 24 of 57 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.1% for the matchup. They shot 26.3% from beyond the arc by shooting 5 out of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 14 at the free throw line (71.4%). In reference to rebounds, Northwestern permitted Minnesota to pull down 31 overall (10 on the offensive side).

Nick Martinelli ended up being a factor for the Wildcats in this matchup. He earned 29 points in his 34 mins on the court and totaled 1 assist in this matchup. He converted 11 out of 20 for the matchup giving him a rate of 55.0%, and accumulated 5 rebounds.

Northwestern has a mark of 15-13 so far this season. The Wildcats are committing 17.6 fouls every game and they connect on 73.3% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.5 times per game (127th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 9.9 times per game. Northwestern has scored 2,057 points this season (73.5 per contest) and they average 34.2 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Wildcats are hitting on 44.4% from the floor, which ranks 204th in college hoops.

The Northwestern defense surrenders 33.9% on shots from behind the 3-point line (201 of 593) and their opposition knocks down 74.4% of their foul shots. They have allowed 14.4 assists and 33.6 boards per game, which is ranked 290th and 140th in those categories on the defensive end. The Wildcats are ranked 100th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 69.4. They are forcing 13.6 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.7% from the floor (178th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Iowa

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