Iowa vs Penn State Expert Prediction

Posted by Joe Solari on Tuesday,February 16, 2016 6:00, EDT in

The No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions are trending in opposite directions ahead of their Big Ten clash on Wednesday night. But does that mean that the Nittany Lions aren’t capable of pulling an NCAAB odds upset over the Hawkeyes? Read on as we take a brief online sportsbook college basketball betting outlook at this game, complete with free NCAAB picks specially prepared for you. Also, check out the recap from their last match which was a few days ago.

Iowa at Penn State NCAAB Matchup and TV Information

When: Wednesday, February 17, 2016, 6:30 PM ET
Where: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA
TV: BTN
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Stream Option: BTN2Go Network
NCAAB Odds: TBA

Why Bet on the Hawkeyes (20-5, 11-2 Big Ten)

Following their 85-78 upset loss to Indiana early last week, the Hawkeyes (13-2 SU in their last 15 games) got back to winning ways by beating Minnesota 75-71 over the weekend. Key to Iowa’s strong play in that game over the Gophers, and the last five games for that matter, is the revitalized play of Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok who are averaging 20.6 and 20.0 points, respectively, in the last five outings. Meanwhile, Adam Woodbury is averaging 11.6 rebounds in that five-game stretch, with Iowa’s leader in assists, Mike Gesell, also playing a pivotal role with his team-leading average of 6.3 APG, to go along with 8.6 PPG.

If these stars can continue shining, Iowa’s 29th-ranked offense in the nation (80.3 PPG scoring) shouldn’t have too many problems this Wednesday, as they will be going against a less-than- stellar Penn State defense that is allowing 68.9 PPG this season and has given up 66-or-more points in five of its last six games—all those five games ending up in losses.

Why Bet on the Nittany Lions (12-13, 3-9 Big Ten)

With 7 losses in their last 10 games, including five defeats in the last six outings, there is really not much to hope for in this Penn State team. This is especially made worse by the fact that Iowa already manhandled the Nittany Lions to the tune of 73-49 when the two teams met earlier this month.

That said, the Nittany Lions tend to play quite well at home. This is a fact that is affirmed by Penn State’s 68-63 upset win over the then-No.22 Indiana Hoosiers last week, a victory that bumped their home record to 9-4 SU on the season so far. If the Lions can give a similar performance this Wednesday, they could be due for another upset win, or at least a cover of the point spread.

Iowa at Penn State NCAAB Picks and Predictions

Honestly speaking, I don’t see Penn State delivering an upset win over Iowa, largely because the Lions have been struggling offensively. Even so, I fancy them to rally behind their home crowd to keep this game pretty close, which should eventually allow them to cover the spread over the Hawkeyes, who’ve actually not been well in the ATS lines recently (0-2 ATS in last two games).

NCAAB Picks: Iowa for SU, Penn State for ATS, Score Prediction: Iowa 73, Penn State 69.