The Iowa Hawkeyes return to the comforts of their own gym badly in need of a victory after dropping back-to-back contests to Penn State and Nebraska on the road to fall to 1-3 SU and 1-2-1 ATS in Big Ten play. On the flipside, the Maryland Terrapins invade the Midwest fresh off earning three straight wins at home with the most recent coming in a dominating effort against the Ohio State Buckeyes to move to 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS versus B1G opposition. Fran McCaffery’s kids have logged just one win and pointspread cover at online sportsbooks in their last five run-ins with the Terps, so you can expect Luka Garza and his mates to put forth one of those patented “circle the wagons” type efforts in hopes of getting off the schneid and back in the good graces of their wagering supporters.
This showdown between Big Ten heavyweights takes place on Friday, January 10, 2020. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. ET from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA. The game will be broadcast live on FS1. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Since dropping back-to-back road decisions at Penn State and Seton Hall, Mark Turgeon’s troops have been on a mission. Their current three-game win streak started off with an 84-70 non-covering win against Bryant, but was then followed up with an all-out assault on the Indiana Hoosiers whom they took behind the woodshed and served up a good ‘ol fashioned 75-59 beating upon. Three days later, the Terps had no issues with Ohio State whatsoever in cruising to the 67-55 win and cover as short 2.5-point favorites per the closing college basketball odds. Anthony Cowan Jr. continued his hot play with a team-high 20 points with a bulk of the damage done at the charity stripe where he knocked 10 of 12 shots down. Maryland hits the road for Iowa City looking to improve upon its 3-2 SU and putrid 1-4 ATS records as a visitor.
Since losing Jordan Bohannon for the season following the game against Iowa State, the Hawkeyes have gone 2-2 SU and 2-1-1 ATS. They got the best of Cincinnati and Kennesaw State in a covering fashion, but went on to drop a heartbreaker in Happy Valley where they fell 89-86 to the Penn State Nittany Lions as 3-point underdogs. Then they went on to suffer the embarrassment of becoming the Cornhuskers second casualty in Big Ten play falling 76-70 as decided 8-point road chalk. A wretched performance from beyond the arc was ultimately to blame after Iowa connected on just four of the whopping 33 attempts taken from downtown. Joe Wieskamp was largely to blame with a disgusting 1-of-10 showing. The team will attempt to rediscover its shooting stroke back home where it checks in 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS for the year.
Player to Watch
This Big Ten skirmish matches up two of the better teams in the country in the fouling department. Maryland commits an average of just 15.1 fouls per game but does see that output bump up to 16.4 when on the road. As for Iowa, it commits an average of just 14.9 per game and that plummets to 12.9 when in the comforts of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This figures to be a competitive game throughout regardless of the fact that Iowa’s roster is dealing with a ton of attrition right now due to the myriad of injuries incurred up and down the roster. Should that turn out to be the case, the Terrapins would hold the leg up should the game be decided from the free throw line. As a team, Maryland converts just over 73 percent of its freebies (No. 84), while Iowa’s only managed a 71 percent showing from the stripe (No. 140). On top of that, their best free throw shooter (Bohannon) is no longer in the mix. If Iowa is to come out victorious, it likely won’t be because of its ability to knock shots down from the stripe with regularity.
Prediction
Last year’s lone meeting between these squads took place in Iowa City where the Terps logged the 66-65 outright win and cover as 2.5-point underdogs. The triumph moved them to 4-1 SU and ATS in the last five meetings with the under cashing in three times. Iowa hasn’t defeated Maryland on its own floor since the 2015 season, and it’s tough to buy into them if they continue to be as shorthanded as they were on Tuesday night when they fell to the Huskers. Be sure to check the injury reports and see if CJ Fredrick is able to get back onto the floor after suffering an ankle injury in the second half at Penn State. Should he be able to give it a go, his 10.3 points and near 3.0 assists per game will come as a welcome sight for a Hawkeyes squad that’s struggled mightily at the guard position due to the recent injuries and sicknesses. As hot Maryland is right now, linemakers might install the Hawkeyes short home dogs for this bout. Should that be the case, I’d get a taste of the money line! Iowa won’t be dropping three in a row at home to the Terps!
College Basketball Pick: Iowa 73, Maryland 70
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