Big 10 foes will battle when the Iowa Hawkeyes (11-12, 2-8 Big 10) square off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-9, 3-7 Big 10) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is a 3.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 158 points. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes ATS Preview
In the Golden Gophers last matchup, they fell to the Northwestern Wildcats, 77-69. With 25 points on 7-for-14 shooting, Nate Mason was the games leading scorer. Northwestern’s free throw rate was their biggest advantage over Minnesota. The Wildcats had a rate of 0.321 (above their season average of 0.232), while the Golden Gophers posted a mark of 0.169 (below their season average of 0.270).
The Hawkeyes are trying to rebound after their 98-84 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their last matchup. Tyler Cook led Iowa in scoring with 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Nebraska did a great job of converting from the free throw line (27-36; 75.0 percent). Iowa, on the other hand, had a turnover percentage of 11.1 (better than their season average of 16.6).
Iowa appears to have the advantage on the offensive side of the ball. The Hawkeyes currently rank 51st in offensive efficiency, while the Golden Gophers rank 159th in defensive efficiency. Also, the Golden Gophers rank 28th in turnover percentage (16.2 percent), while the Hawkeyes rank 315th in opponents turnover percentage (16.6 percent).
Of Minnesota’s 22 games with betting action, 11 have finished over the projected point total, while 13 of Iowa’s 19 games have finished over the O/U total. Looking at straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records, the Golden Gophers have a substantial advantage. They are 14-9 SU and 9-13 ATS, while the Hawkeyes are 11-12 SU and 7-10-2 ATS.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Golden Gophers won the lone game played against each other last season, 101-89. The Golden Gophers dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a turnover percentage of 12.8 and an extraordinary offensive rebounding percentage of 37.7. The Hawkeyes were 17.1 and 32.7, respectively, for those same stats.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction
Prediction: SU Winner – Iowa, ATS Winner – Iowa, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- On the road, Minnesota is 4-5 ATS with 5 unders and 4 overs.
- Iowa is 3-3-1 ATS at home with 4 overs and 3 unders.
- Iowa averages 18.7 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the NCAA. Minnesota ranks 201st in assists allowed per game (15.0).
- The Hawkeyes rank 43rd in rebounds per game (39.2) while the Golden Gophers rank 231st in rebounds allowed per game (37.7).
- Iowa ranks 41st in blocks allowed per game (2.7) while Minnesota ranks 176th (4.9).
Betting Trends:
- Iowa is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Minnesota is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Hawkeyes have been outscored by an average of 5.6 points in their last five games. For the season, Iowa has defeated opponents by an average of 3.3 points.
- During their last five games, the Golden Gophers have scored an average of 65.2 points per game (12.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 77.2 points per game (4.6 above their season average).
