Indiana vs #4 Iowa 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

Fourth-ranked Iowa has its designs not just on winning the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles but on a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes will be sizable home favorites in conference action Thursday on the NCAAB odds vs. Indiana.

How to Bet Iowa at Indiana NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 9 PM ET
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio:com
Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (Iowa will be favored)

Last Meeting

The schools met once last season and Indiana won 89-77 at home when it was unranked and Iowa was No. 21. Devonte Green had 27 points and seven made three-pointers for the Hoosiers; he’s no longer there. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and is still Indiana’s best player. Green started a decisive 12-0 first-half spurt by knocking down his third and fourth 3s before making free throws after drawing a foul on his next long-distance attempt. When the flurry ended, Indiana led 31-16 and Iowa spent the rest of the night futilely playing catch-up. Luka Garza scored 38 points for Iowa, falling two short of matching the Assembly Hall single-game scoring record by an opponent.

Why Bet on Indiana? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Hoosiers (8-6) were upset 81-69 at home by Purdue last Thursday. The Boilermakers were 11 of 17 from beyond the arc. The Boilers also converted 20 of 31 free throws in a game that saw 51 fouls including a handful of technicals. Purdue finished shooting 53% for the game, 11 of its 25 field goals coming from beyond the arc. Indiana was 44% shooting and scored 23 points off 14 Purdue turnovers. Purdue is on a streak of eight straight wins against Indiana, the program’s longest since nine in a row (1929-1935).

IU couldn’t overcome 3-for-18 3-point shooting and a 16-for-29 effort from the line. “Offensively, we have to shoot better and make more free throws,” Coach Archie Miller said. “We’ve got a lot to work on.”

Armaan Franklin returned after missing two games with an ankle injury and had 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 33 minutes. Sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis scored a team-high 25 points, his ninth 20-point game this season, fourth in the last five games and eight of the last 11. He connected on 9-of-16 of his shots from the floor and added four rebounds and one block.

Junior Race Thompson tallied 13 points, a team-high 10 rebounds, and two steals in 34 minutes. He has reached double figures in three of the last four games. Thompson has notched three double-doubles this season, with two coming in Big Ten play (vs. Maryland, Jan. 4).

Indiana was supposed to play Saturday vs. Michigan State, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the MSU men’s basketball program. The break might have come at a good time considering the major minutes Indiana’s starters have been putting in lately — Jackson-Davis (35.9 mpg), Aljami Durham (35.4), and Thompson (29.7) have seen a lot of time in Big Ten play.

“This is the first time all season our guys would look at say there is a week in between games that they are not in school,” Miller said of the time off. “It is a mental grind with very few times off. The testing, the practices, the games. … we had three games in seven days last week. We were getting ready to do three more in six days next week. It comes at a time where I look at it and say, number one, we have a couple guys that are banged up, couple guys playing too many minutes, let’s make sure we are smart with them.”

Why Bet on Iowa? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Hawkeyes (11-2) won their fifth in a row Sunday, 96-73 at Northwestern. The Cats got off to a solid start and led 29-28 with just under eight minutes left in the first half. Iowa then took control with 13 straight points, six by Jack Nunge. The Hawkeyes led 49-37 at the break and opened the second half with a 13-2 run for a 62-39 advantage. The Hawkeyes, which outscored Northwestern 68-44 over the final 28 minutes, led by as many as 29 points in the win.

The Hawkeyes shot a blistering 57.9 percent and made 10 3-pointers. Iowa dominated the action on the glass, 40-27, and assisted on 22 of its 33 field goals. Defensively, Iowa limited Northwestern to 41.5 percent shooting.

The Hawkeyes were coming off a seven-day layoff because last Thursday’s game against Michigan State was postponed. It didn’t affect their sharpness. The blowout win also allowed superstar Garza to gain some added rest, which could pay off later in the season. Garza, who entered averaging 27.6 points, had 17 points and 10 rebounds and sat out the final 12 minutes because of the lopsided score. He was 7 for 12 from the field and scored all of his points in the first half.

Iowa, who leads the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, sank 10 triples, including three by Jordan Bohannon. The Hawkeyes improved to 9-0 this season when Bohannon makes multiple 3-pointers. Bohannon finished today’s contest with 11 points, the fifth consecutive contest in double figures for the redshirt senior.

Bohannon (572) is four assists from surpassing Andre Woolridge for second on Iowa’s career assists chart. Bohannon is 41 assists from becoming Iowa’s all-time assists leader (Jeff Horner, 612).

Iowa has won 22 of its last 23 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to last season. Ten of Iowa’s 12 victories this season have come by 15 points or more. Iowa has won nine of the last 13 meeting against the Hoosiers inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to the 2004-05 season.