Top-Ranked Purdue Hosts Solid Iowa Team
Purdue vs Iowa Scores & Predictions Favor Home Team
Monday’s college basketball slate is certainly on the small side. There are just six lined games and all of them but one have NCAAB odds in the double-digits. One of those games is Iowa at No. 1 Purdue. It’s the best game on the board Monday night, although Purdue is capable of turning the game into a blowout. The Boilermakers can score and play defense. The Hawkeyes can score, but sometimes the defense can be a bit shaky. The Purdue vs Iowa scores & predictions are going to favor the Boilermakers by 13. But the Hawkeyes are capable of staying within the generous point spread. Purdue is favored by 13 with a total of 163.5.
Hawkeyes vs Boilermakers 
Day/Time:
Location: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana
Line: Purdue -13
Total: 163.5
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Hawkeyes Winning When They Should
The Iowa Hawkeyes are winning the games they should. They’re also losing the games they should. Iowa is 5-0 straight-up when favored and 0-2 when the underdog. The Hawkeyes are 3-4 against the spread and 5-2 in totals. The Hawkeyes are averaging 90.7 points per game.
They’ve scored more than 100 points twice, although those NCAA basketball games were against North Dakota and North Florida. Oklahoma held Iowa to 67 points, the only game the Hawkeyes haven’t scored at least 80 points in.
Iowa is shooting 49.3% from the field and are No. 15 in Ken Pomeroy’s offensive efficiency ratings. The Hawkeyes like to push the tempo and are No. 9 in adjusted pace. Iowa averages just 14.6 seconds per possession. The Hawkeyes take pretty good care of the basketball despite running up and down the court.
Iowa is fifth in the nation in turnover percentage. Iowa’s style leads to a fair number of layups, as it doesn’t really attempt that many 3-pointers with 19.3 attempts. Purdue attempts 20.5 per game.
Defensively, Iowa isn’t as bad as the numbers look. But playing at a torrid pace offensively is going to take a bit of a toll on your defense. Iowa is allowing college basketball teams to shoot 42.4% and its solid against the 3-pointer. Teams are hitting 49.8% of their 2-point attempts against the Hawkeyes.
Purdue Looks to Bounce Back
The Boilermakers are going to drop from the No. 1 spot when the latest NCAA basketball rankings come out after being upset by Northwestern in overtime. The Boilermakers are averaging 84.6 points per game and shooting 48.7% from the field. Purdue is solid shooting the 3-pointer, connecting on 40.9%, although that is Iowa’s strength on defense.
Defensively, Purdue is tough, allowing 67.1 points a game and holding teams to 38.8% shooting and 26.5% on 3-point attempts. The Boilermakers don’t force a lot of turnovers. But they don’t really have to when they’re keeping the other team from making baskets.
What to Expect
Any time Iowa is involved in a game, you know they’re going to run the ball. The Hawkeyes play one style and they do it pretty well. Iowa will likely look to take the ball to the basketball, as Purdue is especially tough from the outside. The key for Iowa will be to get shots off before the Purdue defense has a chance to get set.
For the Boilermakers, it’s going to be business as usual. They’re unlikely to change anything for Iowa’s up-tempo style. Purdue defeated Iowa 87-73 after shooting 55%. The Boilermakers had a 43-23 rebounding advantage in the game.
Who to Bet On?
The Purdue vs Iowa scores & predictions aren’t going to be able to factor in the Boilermakers coming off their first loss of the year. Strictly from a mathematical standpoint, the Purdue vs Iowa scores and projections predict Purdue to win 88-75. But since is the first time the Boilermakers have lost this NCAAB season, there’s no real way of predicting how they’ll act.
The schedules the two teams have played are fairly comparable. Neither get a real edge there, so the lines are pretty solid in this game. It’s a tough game to call from a handicapping perspective, but think there’s a bit of value in taking the game over the high total. Take the over 163.5 for one of your NCAAB picks for Monday.
For NCAAB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
