Iowa limps into the Big Dance losers of six of its last eight games. They were ousted from the Big Ten tournament by 5-13 Illinois in the first round, an unceremonious exit for a team that spent several weeks in the top-10.
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Temple Owls +7.5
Iowa Hawkeyes -7.5
Over/Under: 139.5
HOW THE TEMPLE OWLS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Owls return to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence on a roll, winning 13 of their last 17 games after opening the season with an 8-7 record.
Coach Fran Dunphy has done a terrific job with these Owls, who struggled in the non-conference schedule but rallied around tough defense and a senior-laden group to win the American Athletic Conference regular season title. Temple is tough, rugged and defends very well.
The Owls don’t do anything particularly spectacular aside from playing defense, but even that wasn’t there in a 77-62 loss to Connecticut in the AAC tournament. Overall, Temple limits opponents to 41.7 percent shooting from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point land.
One positive for Temple is that that Iowa has had a horrendous stretch shooting the basketball. The Owls need to apply pressure from the outset and getting a few stops on defense will have the Hawkeyes questioning themselves and ready to crumble.
HOW THE IOWA HAWKEYES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Iowa registered its fourth straight 20-win season under coach Fran McCaffery and will attempt to make it past the second round for the first time in its sixth try since 1999. The Hawkeyes will need to overcome some late-season troubles to do it, though.
The team put together an impressive run of 16 wins in 18 games between November and February that launched the Hawkeyes to No. 3 in the AP Poll. But they’ve lost six of eight, including their only Big Ten tournament game, coming into the NCAA’s.
The Hawkeyes are carried by the tandem of forward Jarrod Uthoff and guard Peter Jok, who have accounted for 44 percent of the team’s scoring and 53 percent of its made threes.
The pair slumped toward the end of the season, which could explain the late season swoon. Over a five-game span that included four losses, Uthoff made 35.3 percent and Jok 34.8 percent. It’s obvious what Iowa needs to advance, and that’s better accuracy from the top two scorers. The two haven’t faltered at the free throw, combining to make 83.8 percent from the stripe.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Three of Temple’s top four scorers are seniors, including bruising 6-5 guard Quenton DeCosey, who leads the team with 15.6 per game and also racks up six boards. Forwards Obi Enechionyia and Jaylen Bond are tough down low, but the Owls have little depth. The contrasting styles of both teams make this an interesting matchup. Iowa likes to push the ball up and down the floor and Temple prefers to grind it out with smart possessions and tough defense. The Hawkeyes will be pressed by a determined Temple squad.
But while the Owls defense is strong, they’ve thrown in the occasional clunker against the likes of Villanova, Tulsa and UConn. This one likely comes down to how well the Hawkeyes shoot the basketball. They need to hit the reset button and a few days away from the gym with a fresh start and lowered expectations will help them regain their touch. Look for Iowa to advance to the second round and cover the spread as its top guns provide the difference.
Iowa 71, Temple 62
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