The Penn State Nittany Lions (14-14) travel to face off against the Iowa Hawkeyes (16-12) on Tuesday, February 27th. This game will be played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City and televised on BTN. Penn State 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.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Iowa Hawkeyes
The Penn State Nittany Lions Are Coming Off A Win
Through 28 games, Penn State has a 14-14 record, including an 8-9 mark in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions have won two straight games, and they were victorious in their last outing, defeating Indiana, 83-74.
On the road this season, Penn State is just 2-9, and the team’s average scoring margin in road games is -8.6 points per game. With a record of 7-10 as the underdog, the Nittany Lions have been the underdog in 17 of their 28 games.
As the underdog this season, Penn State has gone 10-7 vs. the spread. In their last 10 games as the underdog, the Nittany Lions have an ATS record of 7-3. On the road this season, Penn State is 5-6 vs. the spread and 2-1 in their last three road games.
So far this season, the over/under record for Penn State games is 17-10-1. On average, their games have finished with 149.5 points, which is 2.8 points higher than the average over/under line of 146.7. Today’s over/under line of 163.5 is higher than the average scoring total in their games this year and over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1.
The Iowa Hawkeyes Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
With a record of 16-12, Iowa has been much better at home compared to on the road. At home, the Hawkeyes are 13-4 compared to just 3-8 on the road. Their average scoring margin at home is +12.4 compared to -6.8 on the road.
Coming off a loss to Illinois, Iowa has gone 8-2 in their last 10 home games. Overall, they are 13-3 when favored, which they will be against Penn State.
As the favorite this season, Iowa has gone just 7-9 vs. the spread. Their overall ATS mark is 11-17, including a home ATS record of 7-10. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Hawkeyes have an even 5-5 ATS record.
So far this season, the over/under record for Iowa games is 18-10. Today’s over/under line of 163.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games this season (159.8). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average scoring total of 167 points.
Penn State Offense Breakdown
Penn State’s offense had a good outing, putting up 83 points against Indiana. They achieved a 45.3% field goal percentage and went 26/30 from the free-throw line. Adrian Baldwin Jr was the leading scorer for the Nittany Lions, putting up 23 points. In addition, Zach Hicks contributed 17 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Baldwin Jr (G) | 14.2 | 2.2 | 5.7 |
| Kanye Clary (G) | 16.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Qudus Wahab (F) | 9.2 | 7.6 | 0.5 |
Iowa Offense Breakdown
Iowa’s offense had a good outing, putting up 85 points against Illinois. They achieved a 47.6% field goal percentage and went 21/25 from the free-throw line. Payton Sandfort is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 15.4 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Tony Perkins brings a PPG average of 15.3 into the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payton Sandfort (F) | 15.4 | 6.4 | 2.5 |
| Tony Perkins (G) | 15.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Ben Krikke (F) | 14.2 | 5.0 | 1.5 |
Penn State Team Defense
At this time, the Nittany Lions’ defense is positioned 232nd in the country, permitting 73.9 points per game. In today’s game vs. Iowa, the Penn State defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Penn State made 26 free-throws vs. the Nittany Lions.
Iowa Team Defense
Looking at the Iowa defense, they will be looking for a better performance considering they are currently conceding 78.7 points per game (309th). Against Illinois in their most recent game, the Iowa defense gave up a total of 95 points while allowing Illinois to hit 49% of their shots.
Nittany Lions vs Hawkeyes Trends
- In their last five road games, Penn State has averaged 65 points per game while allowing 66. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-3 while going 3-2.
- Across the Hawkeyes last five home games, the team averaged 75 points per game while allowing 81. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-4, while going 1-4 straight-up.
- Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Penn State has an ATS mark of 3-2 while going 2-3 straight up.
- Over the team’s last three games as the favorite, the Hawkeyes struggled vs the spread going just 1-2. However, they still had a straight up mark of 2-1.
Nittany Lions vs Hawkeyes Prediction
For a pick on the point-spread in this Hawkeyes vs. Nittany Lions matchup, our bet is to grab the Nittany Lions at +7.5. Even though our projections have the Hawkeyes winning 75-69, we see the Nittany Lions as the play on the point-spread.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 163.5, and our model predicts the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes to score a combined 144 points. We recommend betting on the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:February 27, 2024 Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions