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The Wisconsin Badgers are losing steam after a strong start to the season and need to get it turned around as March Madness beckons. They will aim to pick up a much-needed victory in a matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes this week.
Despite its recent lull, Wisconsin is the team to beat in this matchup as it has been more successful in Big Ten play and has the home court advantage. Iowa is not expected to make the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and will be in more of a spoiler role in this one, but it did a nice job of beating a ranked team on the road last time out and would love to duplicate that feat.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, March 2, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Wisconsin is 22-7 straight up and 12-14 against the spread. The Badgers have played in 12 home games this season and have covered in eight of them. They are 12-11 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
Iowa is 16-13 straight up and 11-14-1 against the spread. The Hawkeyes have played in nine road games this year and have been putrid, covering in only two of those attempts. Iowa is 6-8 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Player to Watch
Peter Jok -- Iowa has played well of late and a lot of it has been on the back of its star guard. He scored 35 points in an overtime win over Indiana in which he hit 22-of-23 free throws to give the Hawkeyes the victory.
Jok didn’t score as much last time out but contributed 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in a win over No. 24 Maryland. It was a pair of good wins for the Hawkeyes, who will aim to keep it rolling.
Jok is averaging 20.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season. He has really taken over as the go-to guy his last two years of college and is now in the process of wrapping up a stellar career with the Hawkeyes.
Key Stat
Four. That’s the number of losses for Wisconsin in its past five games. The Badgers led the Big Ten before the recent lull but now sit a game behind Purdue.
The Badgers’ skid started with a loss to Northwestern and then they fell the next time out to Michigan. Wisconsin bounced back with a victory over Maryland but has dropped back-to-back contests against Ohio State and Michigan in its most recent contests.
The Badgers have dropped all four of them by six points or more and must make a few more critical baskets in close games in order to come away with the victory.
Wisconsin has only two regular season games remaining and wants to win them both in order to improve its stock heading into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Iowa has played well of late while Wisconsin has stumbled. That may give some pause to bettors, but it’s important to look at the overall body of work. The Badgers have been the better team despite the recent lull and get to play this one in the comfort of their own home.
Don’t get fooled by the losses as Wisconsin is still one of the best teams in the conference. They shouldn’t have too much trouble dispatching of Iowa in this one to keep alive their faint hopes of the regular season Big Ten championship.
The spread should be watched closely to determine which side to wager on in this one.
College Basketball Odds: Wisconsin 72, Iowa 61
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