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Ninth-placed Iowa Hawkeyes head to Value City Arena to take on the 4th-placed Ohio State Buckeyes in a Big Ten showdown that could significantly impact the Selection Sunday results.
Just a few more games are left in the regular season and both teams are looking to finish strongly. The Iowa Hawkeyes have won four of their last five games and are 3.5 games out of first place in the conference standings.
Meanwhile, the Ohio State Buckeyes are half a game ahead of the Hawkeyes in third place in the Big Ten but have lost their last two appearances.
Match Details
Fixture: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Ohio State Buckeyes - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date and Time: Sunday, February 28, 4:00 PM ET
Venue: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
College Basketball Bets Today: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds, Lines, and over/under
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an advantage in the head-to-head over Ohio State Buckeyes, with 65 wins and 62 losses. However, the Buckeyes won the latest matchup this season on Feb. 4 and have won four of its last six games straight up and against the spread.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off their worst offensive performance of the year against the Michigan Wolverines, where they scored a season-low 57 points in the loss.
The Hawkeyes issue was that they were settling for bad shots and were stagnant during a majority of their offensive sets. They ended the game with a season-low four assists.
However, that game is likely just a one-off for the Iowa Hawkeyes offense. On the year, they are averaging 85.2 points per game and rank second in offensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com, averaging 125.5 points per 100 possession.
The key player for the Hawkeyes will be Luka Garza. The senior center is averaging 24.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on 54.8% shooting this season.
The All-American will have an even heavier workload in the rest of the season. It was recently announced that Sophmore forward, Jack Nunge, will be out for the year's remainder with a torn meniscus via Associated Press.
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Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season. In those two games, the Buckeyes struggled to defend. They gave up 92 points to Michigan and then 71 points to Michigan State. Both games exceeded their season average of points-allowed, which is 69.7.
The key player for the Ohio State Buckeyes is E.J. Liddell. The sophomore forward has scored a combined 41 points in the Buckeyes' recent back-to-back losing efforts.
Liddell will need to be locked in both offensively and defensively as he will be tasked with guarding the John Wooden Award favorite, Luka Garza.
Odds:
Ohio State Buckeyes: -2.5 (-116)
Iowa Hawkeyes: +2.5 (-106)
Moneyline:
Ohio State Buckeyes: -146
Iowa Hawkeyes: +124
Over/Under:
Over: 158.5 (-110)
Under: 158.5 (-110)
Iowa vs Ohio State Prediction
The best bet would be to take the Iowa Hawkeyes +2.5 and the over. In the last three meetings between the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes, the total has gone over.
Also, with the struggles, the Ohio State Buckeyes have had to defend inside the perimeter, expect for Luka Garza to have a monstrous game allowing the Hawkeyes to cover the spread.
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