The Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the No. 20 Iowa State Cyclones in a rivalry game on Thursday night. Iowa has lost two of its last three games, falling to Duke in a 74-62 final on Tuesday. Iowa State bounced back from its first loss of the season with wins over North Dakota and St. John's.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Hawkeyes are favored by 4 points in the latest Iowa vs. Iowa State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 139. Before entering any Iowa State vs. Iowa picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Iowa vs. Iowa State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Iowa vs. Iowa State:
- Iowa vs. Iowa State spread: Iowa -4
- Iowa vs. Iowa State over/under: 139 points
- Iowa vs. Iowa State money line: Iowa -210, Iowa State +175
- Iowa vs. Iowa State picks: See picks here
Why Iowa can cover
Iowa has been one of the best offensive teams in college basketball so far this season, averaging 83.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes lead the country in turnover rate, averaging just nine per contest, which will be a key factor against an Iowa State defense that loves to force turnovers. Forward Kris Murray leads Iowa with 19.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, taking over as the top player following the departure of his twin brother, Keegan Murray.
The Hawkeyes have some depth behind Murray as well, with Patrick McCaffery (12.8), Tony Perkins (11.7) and Filip Rebraca (10.3) each scoring in double figures. Iowa State has only played two road games this season, needing overtime to get past Villanova before losing to UConn by 20 points. Iowa has won four of the last six meetings between these teams and has covered the spread at a 5-1-1 clip in the last seven matchups.
Why Iowa State can cover
Iowa State is going to present a formidable challenge for Iowa's offense, as the Cyclones lead the country in turnovers forced. They had 20 takeaways against St. John's on Sunday, which led to 16 Iowa State points in a 71-60 win. Iowa State also picked up a win over North Carolina in the Phil Knight Invitational at the end of November, so it is a battle-tested team heading into this game.
Senior Jaren Holmes leads a balanced lineup with 14.8 points per game, while Caleb Grill (10.5) and Osun Osunniyi (10.0) are both scoring in double figures as well. The Cyclones have held opponents to 37.3% shooting from the floor this season, and Iowa is coming off its worst offensive showing of the season. The Hawkeyes shot less than 40% from the field in their double-digit loss to Duke on Tuesday, going 3 of 16 from 3-point range.
How to make Iowa vs. Iowa State picks
The model has simulated Iowa State vs. Iowa 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Iowa vs. Iowa State? And which side of the spread is hitting well over 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Iowa State vs. Iowa spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,400 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.
