Game Time March 06, 2022 at 07:30 pm ET
In what could be a preview of the Big Ten tournament which begins next Wednesday, the Hawkeyes close out their regular season in Champaign against the Fighting Illini. These two teams met in December when Illinois took the game 87-83. A lot has changed since then, although both teams have taken similar paths to the top of the Big Ten Conference. Separated by just one game, the two teams rank second and fourth in the conference respectively. The two teams actually balance out well against each other with similar rankings in FG%, rebounding, and true shooting percentage. Iowa has continued its recent history of having an explosive offense, led by forward Keegan Murray who is averaging 23.3 ppg in just over 30 minutes per game.
Illinois counters with a better defense than Iowa, as well as its own balanced offensive attack, particularly down low through center Kofi Cockburn. The center is averaging 21.0 and 10.5 rebounds this year, and Iowa will need to win the battle on the boards against Cockburn if they hope to have any chance of splitting the season series. With this being the last game of the season there isn’t much to look ahead to for either team. Both will be playing at the tournament on Wednesday, and at this point seeding shouldn’t matter too much. With these close games I don’t usually like taking the spread, I’d rather just bet on the moneyline who I think will win. With the tournament around the corner, I think both coaches will play tentative basketball so I’m betting on the Under in this one.
Buddy M.
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