The No. 3-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (16-3) head to Maryland to take on the No. 8-ranked Terrapins (17-3) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The Terrapins are hoping to rebound after their 74-65 loss to Michigan State in their last matchup. Melo Trimble was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-71 win against Purdue in their last game. Jarrod Uthoff was the game’s top scorer, registering 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
It might turn into a shootout as a pair of the nation’s top offenses match up. Maryland ranks 21st in the country with 115.4 points per 100 possessions, while Iowa is 13th in that metric (117.7). The Hawkeyes should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank third at avoiding errors (TO% of 14.3%). Conversely, the Terrapins force the 63rd-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 17.0%).
Maryland is a three-point favorite against Iowa and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 145 points. The Terrapins have gone 17-3 Straight Up (SU) and 9-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Terrapins are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .763 from the free throw line.
In the other locker room, the Hawkeyes have records of 10-6 ATS and 16-3 SU. Iowa performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. The Hawkeyes are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in Division I at 1.80.
The conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Iowa came out on top, bumping its SU record to 2-0. With a 2-0 record, the Hawkeyes also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iowa, ATS Winner – Iowa, O/U – Over
Notes
Maryland is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Maryland’s last 5 games.
The Iowa Hawkeyes stand undefeated at 7-0 SU against the Big Ten Conference. The Maryland Terrapins have a winning record (6-2) in the conference.
Iowa is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 81.7 points per game (ranked 25th). Maryland allows 64.1 points per game (ranked 30th).
Maryland has allowed an average of 61.4 points per home game this season. Iowa averages 80.7 points per away game, ranking 11th in scoring.
The Iowa Hawkeyes rank 13th for their offensive rating of 117.7. The Maryland Terrapins have a defensive rating of 96.7 (ranked 59th).
The Iowa Hawkeyes average a field goal percentage of 47.0% this season. The Maryland Terrapins are 3-2 when opponents have a FG% of 47.0% or greater.
The Maryland Terrapins average 21.0 three point attempts per game, and the Iowa Hawkeyes attempt 22.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Maryland is 10-3 and Iowa is 12-3.
The Iowa Hawkeyes rank second with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.80, while the Maryland Terrapins rank outside the top 100 at 145th with an A/TO of 1.10.
Maryland ranks 301st in offensive rebounds, while Iowa ranks 82nd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Maryland forces a turnover rate of 17.0%. When Iowa turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 3-1 record.
