Nittany Lions vs. Hawkeyes Prediction
A pair of top 25 teams will do battle this afternoon as the 18th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes host the 16th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Can Iowa win its 13th consecutive home game?
Game Snapshot
609 Penn State Nittany Lions at 610 Iowa Hawkeyes
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 12PM ET
TV: BTN
Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our NCAA Basketball Odds & Betting Page
According to oddsmakers. the Hawkeyes are a 4-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 152 points. As of Saturday morning, 56 percent of public bets are coming in on host Iowa. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Dread lifts Nittany Lions to win
Penn State blew a big halftime lead Wednesday night at home versus Rutgers, but a go-ahead 3-pointer by Myles Dread with 28 seconds was the difference in a 65-64 victory. The Nittany Lions (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten Conference) led 42-24 at halftime before struggling in the second half, but ultimately they were able to find a way. Izaiah Brockington paced PSU with 16 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting including 1-of-1 from 3-point distance plus 5-of-7 at the free throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds. Dread added 11 points, seven assists, two boards and two steals.
Hawkeyes fall at Spartans
Iowa lost by a 78-70 score at Michigan State Tuesday night to drop to 19-9 overall and 10-7 in conference action. The Hawkeyes were outscored 51-37 in the second half after leading by six at the break. Luka Garza led Iowa with 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting plus 4-of-7 at the charity stripe. He also notched nine rebounds and three assists. Ryan Kriener accounted for 18 points and seven boards. Connor McCaffery added 11 points, seven dimes, three steals and two rebounds.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Penn State
The road team is 1-4-2 ATS in the last seven meetings. The Nittany Lions are 53-27 ATS in their last 80 games overall.
Iowa
The Hawkeyes are 18-9 ATS this season. Iowa is 12-3 ATS as a favorite this season.
Prediction:
These two squads are very closely matched and it showed in the Hawkeyes’ 89-86 loss in a semi-away game at Penn State earlier this season. While Iowa has been deadly at home, the Nittany Lions seem to have the makeup and confidence needed to go into a tough road environment and take care of business. Penn State has road wins over the last five weeks against Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue. Why not add Iowa to the victims list?
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS +4