The fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are on the road in Big Ten College Basketball action tonight, taking on the Indiana Hoosiers. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the betting odds for the game have Indiana favored to pick up the victory at home in this one.
Indiana is tough to beat at Assembly Hall, this year the Hoosiers have won all 13 games there. That will make tonight's matchup a tough one for Iowa, even though the Hawkeyes are a Top 5 team. For the year Iowa has done fairly well in road games, going 5-2 over seven games. Since the turn of the calendar, the Hawkeyes have played five games on the road and only lost at Maryland; Iowa picked up wins at Purdue and Michigan State in a pair of tough contests.
Iowa still leads the Big Ten as well, but a win here for Indiana would bring the Hawkeyes, Hoosiers and Maryland all atop the league with 10-2 conference marks. Indiana is coming off a loss at Penn State in one of those typical letdown games, now they have to find a way to get things back in order.
The Hawkeyes have a great resume with six Top 50 RPI wins, Indiana has just one in a victory over Notre Dame on a neutral floor. The best win inside Assembly Hall came over Wisconsin, the Hoosiers also beat Ohio State at home. The Hoosiers would benefit greatly from a win here over Iowa, this game should have a high pace to it.
Both teams average better than 80 points per game and each has a double-digit point differential per game. They can both rebound the basketball well and second-chance opportunities will be key, Indiana ranks fourth in the league in offensive rebounds at 12 per contest, sitting behind only Michigan State, Wisconsin and Purdue. If the Hoosiers can get some easy buckets off misses, it can challenge Iowa's mindset.
Jarrod Uthoff is a potential player of the year candidate, he will lead the Hawkeyes into this tough road battle. It's no secret that when he plays well Iowa is very tough to beat, in the team's most recent loss at Maryland he had just nine points on 2-of-13 shooting. Uthoff will have to be better tonight if the Hawkeyes are going to have a shot against Yogi Ferrell and the Hoosiers. Ferrell is one of the best players in the league as well, he really shows up big at home.
Even so, the Hawkeyes have been battle tested all season.
Free Pick: Iowa
$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for the CBB and NFL seasons with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore.