The struggling eighth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will look to avoid a damaging loss against the dangerous Wisconsin Badgers and get back in the win and get back on track for a high March Madness seed when they host their longtime conference rivals on Wednesday night. Now, let’s find out if the Hawkeyes have what it takes to hold off the Badgers in a college hoops lines contest featuring two equally ‘desperate’ ball clubs.
How To Bet The Wisconsin vs. No. 8 Iowa NCAAB Odds & TV Info
When: Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 9:00 PM ET
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
TV: BTN
Radio: KJAN
TV Stream: BTN2GO
NCAAB Odds: TBA
Why Bet The Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin (17-10 SU, 13-14 ATS) got back in the win column on Saturday by beating Illinois 69-60 despite failing to cover the spread as an 11.5-point home favorite. The Badgers bounced back nicely from their humbling 69-57 loss against Michigan State last Thursday and will now look to improve their NCAA March Madness chances by beating the nationally-ranked Hawkeyes.
Red shirt freshman Ethan Happ scored a game-high 20 points to pace the Badgers while junior guard Nigel Hayes scored 11 points during a commanding 22-2 second-half run as the Badgers took control. Hayes finished with 17 points and Happ added 12 rebounds to record his eighth double-double of the season. The Badgers got the win despite shooting a tepid 43.2 percent.
Why Bet The Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa (20-6 SU, 13-10 ATS) was on the wrong end of a stunning 79-75 loss against mediocre Penn State on Sunday that looks even more shocking when you consider the fact that the Hawkeyes pounded the Nittany Lions senseless in their 73-49 home win as a 15.5-point home favorite on Feb. 3.
The Hawkeyes got a team-high 28 points from junior guard Peter Jok and 19 points from forward Jarrod Uthoff but lost for the second time in their last three games after falling to Indiana on Feb. 11. Iowa trailed for the final 25:07 against Penn State on Wednesday.”You have to be respectful of every team in this league,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “We beat them pretty good at our place. They turn around, they beat Indiana and then they beat us. You have to give credit there.”
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
I know the Iowa Hawkeyes are really struggling right now while Wisconsin has played fantastic basketball in winning eight of their last 10 games, but I like the semi-desperate Hawkeyes to get the home win and narrow ATS cover – if the spread for this match up doesn’t exceed, let’s say, six points at most.
If the spread goes above a half-dozen points, I say back Wisconsin to cover in a contest that looks like it could come down to the final possession or two for both ball clubs. Wisconsin is 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win and a consistent 7-2 ATS in their last nine games overall. Iowa is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games against a team with a winning straight up record, but it should also be known that the Hawkeyes are just 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up loss.
While the road team in this series is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings, the Badgers are just 2-5 ATS in the last seven road meetings against Iowa, giving this contest a mixed-signal kind of message. In the end, I like Iowa to get the win and narrow ATS cover if the spread stays under six points.
My final score prediction: Iowa 76 Wisconsin 70
