It will be a battle between Big 10 opponents when the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1) welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game is scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2, 2017.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 152.5 points with neither team favored.
Penn State Nittany Lions at Iowa Hawkeyes ATS Prediction
In the Nittany Lions’ last contest, they were beaten by the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 85-78. Getting to the charity stripe was one of North Carolina State’s largest advantages. They made 37 trips to the line, while Penn State went 23 times. Tony Carr was the top scorer from either team with 29 points on 12-for-25 shooting.
The Hawkeyes were blown out by the Virginia Tech Hokies in their last game, 79-55. Getting to the charity stripe was one of Virginia Tech’s largest strengths. They made 28 trips to the line, while Iowa went just 10 times. Iowa’s Cordell Pemsl recorded six points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the game.
This has potential to be a sloppy game for the offense of Iowa. Dating back to last season, Iowa ranks 188th in the nation in ball protection (turnover percentage of 18.8 percent), while the ball-hawking defense of Penn State has forced the 43rd-most turnovers in the NCAA (21.3 percent).
The Nittany Lions are 21-20 straight up (SU) and 20-16 against the spread (ATS) since last season. Since last season, games involving Penn State have gone under the projected point total 55.6 percent of the time.
The Hawkeyes have had a solid 21-15 SU record since last season, but have had trouble covering the spread (15-18-2 ATS). Vegas has been fairly accurate when setting the O/U total of Iowa games over that same stretch with 18 unders compared to 17 overs.
The Hawkeyes won the only contest against the Nittany Lions last season, 90-79. The Hawkeyes knocked down 16 of their 19 free throws (84.2 percent) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.569 vs. 0.500).
Penn State Nittany Lions at Iowa Hawkeyes Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Penn State, ATS Winner – Penn State, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
Iowa averages 38.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 38th in the NCAA. Penn State ranks 274th in rebounds allowed per game (37.7).
The Nittany Lions rank 34th in steals per game (7.6) while the Hawkeyes rank 267th in steals allowed per game (7.7).
Penn State ranks 94th in three pointers allowed per game (20.1) while Iowa ranks 274th (23.5).
The Nittany Lions rank 145th in assists allowed per game (13.0) while the Hawkeyes rank 311th (16.9).
Iowa averages 4.1 blocks per game, which ranks 80th in the NCAA. Penn State ranks 238th in blocks allowed per game (4.2).
