The Iowa Hawkeyes (15-13) travel to face off against the Northwestern Wildcats (15-13) on Friday, February 28th. This game will be played at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston and televised on FS1. Northwestern is coming off a win in their previous game, while Iowa is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Illinois. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.

Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats

The Hawkeyes Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Iowa Hawkeyes Recent Game/Games

The Hawkeyes dropped to 15-13 after an 81-61 road loss to Illinois on Tuesday. Entering the game as +11 point underdogs, Iowa not only lost but also failed to cover the spread.

Trailing 37-30 at halftime, Iowa allowed 44 points in the 2nd half while scoring just 31. The game’s total points of 142 fell well short of the 169.5 O/U line.

The Wildcats Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Northwestern Wildcats Recent Game/Games

Northwestern improved to 15-13 on the season with a 75-63 road win over Minnesota on Tuesday, February 25th. The Wildcats entered the game as +1.5 point underdogs and covered the spread with the win.

Northwestern led 36-31 at halftime and outscored the Golden Gophers 39-32 in the 2nd half. The game’s total points of 138 went over the O/U line of 130.5.

Hawkeyes Offense Breakdown

In their last game, Iowa managed to score just 61 points, shooting 42.1% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 47.4%, and they hit 77.8% of their free throws, going 7-for-9 from the line.

Tomislav Ivisic led the way with 22 points, shooting 69.2% overall and 40% from three. Brock Harding and Kylan Boswell each contributed 15 points, with Boswell adding 7 assists. Will Riley also had 15 points, despite struggling from deep, hitting just 1 of 6 attempts.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Northwestern put up 75 points in their last game, shooting 49.1% from the field and 47.4% from beyond the arc, hitting 9 of 19 threes. Their effective field goal percentage was 56.1%, and they connected on 50% of their two-point attempts.

Nick Martinelli led the way with 29 points, shooting 55% overall and 60% from three, hitting 3 of 5. Dawson Garcia added 26 points, shooting 45% from the field and 42.9% from deep, making 3 of 7 threes. Northwestern dished out 21 assists and grabbed 8 offensive rebounds, while shooting 62.5% from the free-throw line.

Hawkeyes Team Defense

Despite Iowa’s defensive struggles, they allowed 81 points on 50% shooting from the field, with the opposing team hitting 32 of 63 shots. Iowa particularly struggled to defend inside, where they gave up 23 two-pointers on 34 attempts, a 67% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, Iowa’s defense held the opposing team to 9 made threes on 29 attempts, a 31% success rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 12 times, where they made 8 shots, shooting 66%. Iowa allowed 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Wildcats Team Defense

Despite Iowa’s defensive struggles, they gave up 81 points on 50% shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes allowed 67% shooting on two-point attempts, with their opponents hitting 23 of 34 shots inside the arc.

From three-point range, Iowa’s defense held their opponents to 31% shooting, as they made 9 of 29 attempts. The Hawkeyes also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 12 times, where they converted 8 shots for 66%.

Hawkeyes vs Wildcats Trends

• Although Iowa has a straight up record of 1-4 in their last five road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-4. The team averaged 71 points per game in these games.
• Across their last five home contests, Northwestern has a 3-2 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 2-3, while averaging 73 points per game.
• Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, Iowa has an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
• As the betting favorite, the Wildcats have an ATS record of 3-2 in their last five games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 4-1.

Hawkeyes vs Wildcats Prediction

For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Wildcats to secure the win, with an expected final score of 77-70. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -3.5.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 150.5 and our model has the Hawkeyes and Wildcats finishing with a combined 147 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.