The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night in a Big Ten college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Hawkeyes are listed as 7.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 141.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick.
Iowa vs. Ohio State prediction, preview
Ohio State has been unable to find any consistency in the Big Ten. Remarkably, the Buckeyes have gone on a 10-game run without winning or losing more than one game in a row. If that trend continues, that means Ohio State will win tonight’s game after losing to Michigan State on Sunday. The Buckeyes have picked up a few nice wins this season, but have also taken too many losses to the middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams. In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, the Buckeyes are the first team out of the NCAA Tournament. They need to finish this regular season strong to ensure they get a spot in the Big Dance. The Buckeyes will be leaning heavily on star senior guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 20.4 points per game this season.
Iowa took advantage of an easy stretch of games through the end of January and the beginning of February. The Hawkeyes rattled off six wins in a row, but have had a tougher stretch of games as of late. They have now lost three of their past four contests, with the lone win coming against No. 9 Nebraska. Iowa has a solid team, currently sitting as an eight seed in the latest Bracketology. The Hawkeyes are a well-balanced team and rank 24th in net rating on KenPom. They are solid on both ends, with one standout scorer, which is a good recipe for the NCAA Tournament. That standout scorer is senior guard Bennett Stirtz, who is averaging 20.6 points per game.
Iowa vs. Ohio State pick
My best bet for this game is for Ohio State to cover the 7.5-point spread. It’s tough for Iowa to blow teams out because of the style of basketball it plays. The Hawkeyes rank 350th out of 365 Division I teams in adjusted pace. They also rank 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten in field goal attempts. It’s hard to win by a large margin when you don’t put up that many shots. Ohio State ranks 25th in the country in offensive rating. Despite how solid a defensive team Iowa is, the Buckeyes should still have some success. Both of these teams are solid but lack consistency. When inconsistency is an issue, back the underdog with a spread this large.
