Check out our free Northwestern vs Iowa pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Iowa City. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Northwestern vs Iowa Pick & Preview: Tuesday, January 31st Betting Odds

Wildcats vs Hawkeyes Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Northwestern Wildcats at Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Where: Iowa City at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
  • Date: Tuesday, January 31st
  • Betting Odds: Northwestern +6.5, NW +225 | IOWA -286 O/U 149.0

Wildcats Preview:

Through 20 games, the Northwestern Wildcats have an overall record of 15-5. So far, the Wildcats have played 5 games on the road, with a record of 4-1. For the season, Northwestern has been the underdog in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 3-4. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Wildcats being +6.5 point underdogs.

Northwestern will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Chase Audige who is averaging 15.75 points per game for the Wildcats. Audige is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Wildcats’ offensive game plan is the play of Boo Buie who has hit 37.7% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 15.7 points per game.

On offense, Northwestern is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.0 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 20 games, they have only hit 34.7% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 38.69% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

Hawkeyes Preview:

The Iowa Hawkeyes head into today’s game in what will be their 22nd game of the season, posting a record of 13-8. So far this season, Iowa has played 14 games at home, sitting with a record of 11-3. The Hawkeyes’ are sitting with a betting line that is -6.5 points in their favor. For the season, Iowa has been favored to win in 15 games, sitting with a mark of 11-4.

Iowa will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Kris Murray who is averaging 20.82 points per game for the Hawkeyes. Murray is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Hawkeyes’ offensive game plan is the play of Filip Rebraca who has hit 56.5% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 13.67 points per game.

So far this season, Iowa has put together a strong scoring offense at 83.8 points per game (7th). This strong figure has come despite the Hawkeyes playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 36.8% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Iowa’s overall field goal percentage currently sits at 46.4%

Free Spread Prediction: Iowa Hawkeyes -6.5

Heading into this matchup, with the Iowa Hawkeyes sitting as -6.5 point favorites, we like them to pick up the win and cover the spread. Both team’s will be coming into the game looking to get up shots from outside, as Iowa and Northwestern are averaging 9.29 and 8.35 made 3’s per game, respectively. One trend that we feel strongly about is the fact that Iowa has historically performed well against the spread at home, going 6-4 ATS (last 10). Before tonight’s matchup, we recommend getting a wager down on the Hawkeyes to cover at -6.5.