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In the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the Richmond Spiders. Iowa went 26-9 on the season and 12-8 against Big Ten opponents including winning the Big Ten tournament. The Spiders finished 23-12 on the year, 10-8 in Atlantic-10 conference play, and were the surprise winners of the A-10 conference tournament. When looking at betting on the first-round games, here are the two best player props to consider in this matchup.
No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 12 Richmond player prop bets
Keegan Murray — Under 9.5 rebounds (-150)
Murray’s 8.6 rebounds per game led the Hawkeyes in the regular season. The 6’8 sophomore forward has been reliable on the glass, and the putbacks have helped him average the fourth-most points per game in the NCAA with 23.6. Over his last five games though, he has double-digit boards just twice.
The other problem facing Murray is that he won’t be the tallest person he is battling for boards with. The Spiders have three players that will be taller than Murray which could keep him off the boards like he is used to.
The other factor here is minutes played. The Hawkeyes are likely the favorites here and if they get up big early, they could consider resting Murray for the next round. Taking unders is less fun, but Murray should stay under double-digit rebounds in this one.
Tyler Burton — Over 14.5 points (-130)
Burton led the Spiders with 16.3 points per game in the regular season. In the A-10 Championship against Davidson, he had 16 points and helped Richmond to pull off the upset win. Burton has at least 15 points in three of his last five games.
The Hawkeyes are allowing their opponents to connect on half their attempted two-pointers. This game is going to be volume shooting for the Spiders and they aren’t going to be able to just hold the ball and run out the clock. Burton is forceful going to the basket and he will be able to drive and score against Iowa. He likely won’t lead Richmond to a win, but he should still have at least 15 points.
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