Iowa vs Minnesota 3/12/20 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

By: Anthonoy-deleo |

Last Updated: 03/12/2020 at 12:24 AM ET

The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Iowa Hawkeyes are set to visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana for a Big Ten 2nd round matchup. The Minnesota Golden Gophers come into this matchup with a 15-16 record, and they will be looking to continue their success after winning their 1st round game against the Northwestern Wildcats, 74-57. Leading the way for the Minnesota Golden Gophers was sophomore center Daniel Oturu as he recorded 24 points and 8 rebounds. Sophomore guard Marcus Carr had a productive outing for the Golden Gophers as he pitched in 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers struggled shooting the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats as they connected on 26 of their 65 field goal attempts (40%), but they were good from behind the three-point line (50%). The Minnesota Golden Gophers won the turnover battle against the Northwestern Wildcats (9-5), and they edged out the Golden Gophers in the rebounding department (41-32).

The Iowa Hawkeyes come into this matchup with a 20-11 record, and they will be looking to rebound after dropping their recent road game against the Illinois Fighting Illini, 78-76. Leading the way for the Iowa Hawkeyes was junior guard Luka Garza as he recorded 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Sophomore guard Connor McCaffery had a productive outing for the Hawkeyes as he pitched in 10 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds.

The Iowa Hawkeyes had a good shooting game against the Illinois Fighting Illini as they connected on 26 of their 52 field goal attempts (50%), and they were good from behind the three-point line (47.4%). The Iowa Hawkeyes lost the turnover battle against the Illinois Fighting Illini (11-5), but they edged out the Fighting Illini in the rebounding department (32-30).

The Iowa Hawkeyes are my pick to win the Big Ten as they have one of the best players in the country with Luka Garza and they are also explosive scoring the basketball as they are averaging 77.7 PPG. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are coming off an impressive win over the Northwestern Wildcats, but they have struggled all season with an 8-12 Big Ten record, and they lost their lone meeting with the Hawkeyes this year. Luka Garza is in contention for player of the year as he is averaging 23.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG, but he isn’t the only one who can fill up the stat sheet for the Hawkeyes as Joe Wieskamp is pitching in 15 PPG and 6.4 RPG against Big Ten opponents. Minnesota has struggled on the defensive side of the court as they rank 8th in the Big Ten in points allowed, and they won’t have much of an answer for Iowa. Final Score Prediction, Iowa Hawkeyes win and cover ATS 74-64.

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