We have a Saturday afternoon Big Ten showdown in Iowa City to look forward to as the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers hits the road to meet the Iowa Hawkeyes. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will air on Big Ten Network. Wisconsin defeated Iowa 83-72 in their first encounter back on January 2.
Wisconsin (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) stopped the bleeding and ended a four-game losing skid on Tuesday, toppling Ohio State 62-54 in a win that got OSU head coach Chris Holtmann fired the following day. The Badgers never trailed in the contest and comfortably put the Buckeyes away with double-double efforts from a pair of their starters. Steven Crowl had 16 points and 10 rebounds while AJ Storr had a 14/12 night.
Iowa (14-11, 6-8 Big Ten) has split its last six games and were last on the losing end of a 78-66 road loss at Maryland on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes went cold down the stretch as an eight-point lead midway through the second half vanished, mustering up only eight points in the final 10:33 of action. Payton Sandfort put up 19 points in the loss.
The first encounter between these two foes was tied at halftime before Wisconsin pulled away in the second half, shooting 51.9% for the game to Iowa’s 43.5%. The Hawkeyes have been suspect on defense and in particular bad when defending two-point shots, playing into the favor of a a Badger team shooting a league-best 53.1% from two in conference play. Iowa has been the best free throw shooting team in Big Ten play and will need to create extra scoring opportunities by getting to the free throw line in this one.
What this game means for Wisconsin
Wisconsin was able to get back into the win column this week, but it lost ground in the race for the regular season Big Ten title. The Badgers have to play catchup in these final few weeks of the regular season and what better way to build some momentum than a quality road win at Iowa. They have lost three straight away games and are 2-7 against the spread on the road this year, so they could exorcise a demon there with a win here.
What this game means for Iowa
Iowa has been maddeningly inconsistent for the past month as every win has been followed up by a loss. The pattern suggest the Hawkeyes will win here, but a potential victory over the Badgers would have extra “oomph” since it would be their first Quad 1 win of the season. A victory today could possibly be the spark needed to propel them into the home stretch.
Wisconsin vs. Iowa odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Wisconsin -1
Total: 152.5
Moneyline: Wisconsin -112, Iowa -108