Neither the UConn Huskies nor the Iowa Hawkeyes came into this season with many expectations. Both struggled through last season, the Huskies sporting a below-.500 mark and the Hawkeyes pulled up the rear in an overly mediocre Big Ten conference.
Another year brings another chance for both programs and they each find themselves 3-0, having upset a ranked opponent to advance to the 2K Classic Championship Game set for Friday afternoon in the Big Apple.
All things considered, these two teams are actually quite balanced. Iowa returns their top nine scorers from a year ago and UConn has lost just two from last year’s rotation. Here in the infancy of the 2018-2019 season, experience seems to be playing in both team’s advantage, making their head-to-head battle on Friday all the more interesting. You can get involved in this one by taking part in the live betting opportunities available at BookMaker.eu.
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Connecticut Huskies vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Date and Time: Friday, November 16, 2018, 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Huskies vs. Hawkeyes TV Coverage: ESPN2
Iowa was bad last year, very bad. They finished the year 14-19 overall and a dismal 4-14 in a rather disappointing Big Ten conference.
This year, the Hawkeyes returned much of the same roster which is good in that it gives the team experience, but bad in that it’s the same crop of talent that—well—stunk last year.
As bad as Iowa was last year both in SU record and ATS, they could score, they just couldn’t defend, often finding themselves on the short end of a shootout. This team can still score and the defense is still a question.
On the young season, Iowa is 3-0 thanks largely to that offense. They held UMKC to 63 points in a 14-point victory to start the year, looking better overall, but allowed 82 to Green Bay despite a 93-82 victory in that one. To get to Friday’s championship game, the Hawkeyes upset the No.13 Oregon Ducks, 77-69.
In that game, Luka Garza led the team in scoring with 15 and owned the boards with six, second to Tyler Cook on the team. The big man in the middle will also play an important role on Friday as we’ll look at later. All in all, the front court played well, but so did the backcourt with Jordan Bohannon notching seven assists along with 13 points.
As a team, the Hawkeyes owned the boards in the game, notching a dozen more rebounds than the Ducks, giving Iowa more chances than Oregon. The Hawkeyes didn’t shoot particularly well in the game, but they shot well enough and played surprisingly tough defense.
Shifting to the other side of the hardwood, the Huskies playing in this game is a bit of a surprise after they upset Syracuse on Thursday night.
UConn toppled the Orange 83-76 while shooting nearly 50-percent from the floor and a staggering 57.1-percent from three point range. The team really turned in on in the second half, sinking 8-of-13 from beyond the arc to offset a surging Syracuse offense.
While the offensive output and shooting accuracy is huge, the defense was surprisingly strong, too, holding the Orange under 40-percent from the floor and to just six threes all night long. UConn owned the outside and that’s what they’ll need to do to have any success in this one.
Coming into this game, Connecticut is now a surprising 3-0 and have shown the ability to keep the offense rolling, though the Huskies are built more on pace than efficiency. Nevertheless, they looked rather efficient on Thursday, particularly on the perimeter.
It’s the backcourt that’s the strength of this team. This is an undersized team against most competition. That’s the case again on Friday, but it’s an athletic bunch. Alterique Gilbert is a talented scorer and a big talent. He’s had issues staying healthy, but is plenty healthy now. He’s coming off a 16 point performance against Syracuse and, along with Jalen Adams, their leading scorer for a year ago with 18.1 PPG, form a dynamic tandem.
Really, it’s the consistency for UConn that could be a problem along with the size. They’re not equipped to handle strong inside teams. Josh Carlton is the big man. He’s a solid enough defender, but not someone that’ll give you offense in the paint. Eric Cobb can. He’s also a nice rebounder—or at least was against Syracuse. His experience as a senior his helpful inside, but he’s not much more than a solid, fundamental player.
Live Betting
This game is experience versus experience. It’s also pinning two teams against each other that are off to hot starts despite recent struggles in years past. Whether either can sustain the success is in question, but that’s not really an issue for this game. Instead, with the experience issue about even, can either find an advantage?
Height favors the Hawkeyes as does the play inside the three-point line. The Huskies are undersized and athletic, playing well on the perimeter, but relying on threes to keep them in games as they don’t have the size or ability to push towards the basket with regularity.
On the other end, Iowa has a 6’11” forward in Luke Garza who can control the paint and still shoot reasonably well. They also have Tyler Cook who averaged 15 PPG last year and does nearly all of his damage inside.
With that in mind, keep an eye on the early results while live betting at BookMaker.eu. If this game is played on the perimeter primarily, its UConn’s to lose, but if Iowa can force the Huskies inside and take advantage of the mismatch there, they have a chance.
Key Player
The Huskies are an athletic team. They have the better talent overall and could be in a position to take a step forward. While both teams bring experience, Iowa has one key advantage: size. And, that comes primarily in the form of center Luka Garza.
Garza played just 17 minutes in the season opener against UMKC and scored eight points with a few rebounds. He didn’t make much noise in that game, but has been dominating since with 17 points and three blocks against Green Bay and then 15 points and six rebounds against Oregon.
Bohannon’s been good for Iowa in the early going, too, but UConn has an answer for him. They’ve strong on the outside, it’s the inside game that’s not there.
Huskies vs. Hawkeyes Live Betting
These two teams are surprisingly close and the game should be, too. It’s hard to peg this one considering both teams have already exceeded expectations here in this tournament. Both teams have momentum, but if you factor in Iowa’s size advantage that gives the Hawkeyes the slight edge.
Look for Garza to take control of this game inside the paint and notch a couple key blocked shots that swings the game in Iowa’s favor. This game should still go down to the wire, but in the end, take Iowa to narrowly squeeze by the Huskies and get the victory.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for the weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Iowa 79, UConn 75
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