Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Wisconsin and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Iowa 54-43.
Wisconsin came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Iowa Hawkeyes @ Wisconsin Badgers
Current Records: Iowa 10-3, Wisconsin 10-3
How To Watch
What to Know
Iowa and Wisconsin are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but not for long. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Kohl Center. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Iowa is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They steamrolled past New Hamp. 112-70 on Monday. The win was nothing new for the Hawkeyes as they’re now sitting on three straight.
Iowa’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Seydou Traore led the charge by going 6 for 10 en route to 14 points plus six assists and three blocks. Payton Sandfort was another key player, scoring 15 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Iowa was working as a unit and finished the game with 27 assists (they’re ranked second in assists per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as New Hamp. only posted 13.
Meanwhile, one look at the score and it should come as no surprise that Wisconsin was far and away the favorite against Detroit two weeks ago. Wisconsin blew past Detroit 76-53. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Badgers.
Wisconsin’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nolan Winter, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of John Blackwell, who had 12 points plus six rebounds and five assists.
Iowa’s victory bumped their record up to 10-3. As for Wisconsin, their win bumped their record up to an identical 10-3.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Iowa hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 89.7 points per game (they’re ranked second in scoring overall). However, it’s not like Wisconsin struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 81.5. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Iowa is hoping to beat the odds on Friday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. Be careful betting them against the spread as while they’re 8-5 ATS overall, they’re only 2-7-1 against Wisconsin in their most recent matchups.
Odds
Wisconsin is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Iowa, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 5.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 162.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Wisconsin and Iowa both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Feb 17, 2024 – Iowa 88 vs. Wisconsin 86
- Jan 02, 2024 – Wisconsin 83 vs. Iowa 72
- Feb 22, 2023 – Wisconsin 64 vs. Iowa 52
- Dec 11, 2022 – Wisconsin 78 vs. Iowa 75
- Jan 06, 2022 – Wisconsin 87 vs. Iowa 78
- Mar 12, 2021 – Iowa 62 vs. Wisconsin 57
- Mar 07, 2021 – Iowa 77 vs. Wisconsin 73
- Feb 18, 2021 – Iowa 77 vs. Wisconsin 62
- Jan 27, 2020 – Iowa 68 vs. Wisconsin 62
- Mar 07, 2019 – Wisconsin 65 vs. Iowa 45
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