Iowa vs Indiana
The #8 Iowa Hawkeyes are looking to bounce back from an 89-85 home loss to #7 Ohio State, but it’s not going to be an easy task, as the Indiana Hoosiers are coming off a tough 75-71 overtime defeat to #12 Illinois. Anyway, both teams will have a huge motive as each one has dropped three of its last four contests.
Iowa and Indiana will meet for the second time this season. Back on January 21, the Hoosiers upset the Hawkeyes as 10-point road underdogs, grabbing an 81-69 victory after trailing by six at halftime.
They shut down Iowa, holding one of the best offensive teams in the country on just 38.1% shooting from the field and 21.7% from beyond the 3-point line.
Trayce Jackson-Davis led the way for Indiana with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Rob Phinisee added 18 points and three steals. On the other side, Luka Garza had a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Joe Wieskamp posted 16 points and 12 boards, but Jordan Bohannon went scoreless in 33 minutes on the floor.
Locked & loaded.@JWieskamp21 with 3️⃣+ triples in four of his last six games. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/WQRnZt2LFT
— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 5, 2021
Despite their lethal offense, the Hawkeyes have struggled defensively all season long. The Hoosiers knew how to take full advantage of it, while Indiana is a solid defensive team and allows 92.2 points per 100 possessions (27th in the country).
Unlike Iowa, the Hoosiers love to play at a slow pace and will force the Hawkeyes into half-court basketball. If they manage to limit Iowa’s second unit, the Hoosiers could easily upset Iowa once more, this time as 4.5-point home dogs. Indiana is 7-3 straight up and 8-2 ATS in its last ten encounters with Iowa.
College basketball pick – Indiana by 4.
Drake vs Valparaiso
The #25 Drake Bulldogs improved to 18-0 on the season and 9-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 80-77 victory over the Valparaiso Crusaders on Saturday afternoon.
They failed to cover a 13-point spread, overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit, as Valparaiso surprisingly put on a strong performance on both sides of the ball.
The Crusaders shot 41.4% from downtown and handed out 19 assists. They committed only five turnovers, but it wasn’t enough against the best team in the MVC. The Bulldogs made 53.2% of their field goals, playing excellent offense down the stretch when it mattered the most.
🚨BULLDOGS WIN!🚨
Undefeated No. 25 Drake rallies back to collect another road win!
✅ 18-0!
✅ 9-0 #MVCHoops
✅ 5 Bulldogs in double-figures
✅ Tank double-double
✅ 60% 2nd half shootingBack at it tomorrow at 1 p.m.#DSMHometownTeam#DrakeAllIn pic.twitter.com/5NvZGY81AJ
— Drake Basketball (@DrakeBulldogsMB) February 6, 2021
Drake is now 4-1 straight up in its last five matchups with Valparaiso, but the Bulldogs have covered only once in their previous eight encounters with the Crusaders. The Bulldogs will have another chance to improve their ATS record on Sunday, and we’re backing them to finally cover against Valparaiso.
The Crusaders score only 97.2 points per 100 possessions (262nd in the country). They are 3-8 SU and 4-7 ATS over the last 11 outings, while the Bulldogs are 14-2 ATS in their previous 16 showings at any location.
Drake is a much better team in this matchup, and the Bulldogs should have learned a few lessons from Saturday’s narrow victory. We expect to see a much better display Sunday, especially on the defensive end.
College basketball pick – Drake by 6.
Georgetown vs Villanova
The Georgetown Hoyas head to Finneran Pavilion in Villanova for a tough challenge against the #3 Villanova Wildcats, looking for their third straight victory. With a 3-5 record in the conference play, the Hoyas occupy the ninth spot in the Big East standings, three and a half games behind the leader Villanova.
The Wildcats, on the other side, have just put an end to a nine-game winning streak, suffering a surprising 70-59 defeat at St. John’s as 9.5-point road favorites.
They shot a miserable 32.3% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc, so the Wildcats need to bounce back as soon as possible if they want to remain the third-best team in the nation.
🚨 Schedule Update 🚨 #NOVAvsGeorgetown set for Sunday, February 7 at 2:30pm on FOX! https://t.co/JaGmbjLbuw #GoNova #BIGEASThoops pic.twitter.com/Rt6OKFmiMa
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) February 3, 2021
The Hoyas are coming off a huge 86-79 road victory over the #15 Creighton Bluejays. They were listed as 14-point underdogs, but the Hoyas put on a show and hit 50.0% of their field goals and 47.6% of their 3-pointers.
Georgetown will be keen to extend its streak, but the Hoyas will have a tall task to replicate their performance from Omaha. Villanova is a better defensive team than Creighton, and the Wildcats score 118.2 points per 100 possessions (5th). After that shooting dud against the Red Storm, the Wildcats will do a much better job in this one at home.
Villanova is 7-3 ATS in its last ten games. The Wildcats have won 12 of their last 13 encounters with the Hoyas and are 6-2 ATS over their previous eight games against Georgetown.
College Basketball Pick – Villanova by 14.
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