Rutgers vs. Iowa Predictions, Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

• February 10, 2021
• By David Schwab
• VegasInsider.com

Wednesday’s first Big Ten battle of the night sends the No. 25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights on the road to face the No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes in a 7 p.m. (ET) tip from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

BETTING RESOURCES

• Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
• Conference: Big Ten
• Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Areba
• Location: Iowa City, Iowa
• Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2021
• Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
• TV: ESPN2
• Bet: BetMGM | FanDuel | FOXBet |DraftKings | Best Sportsbooks

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Rutgers-Iowa Betting Odds

• Spread: Iowa -6.5
• Money-Line: TBD
• Total: 152

Odds Subject to Change

The Hawkeyes get the nod from the oddsmakers in this matchup as -6.5-point home favorites. The betting line for the game’s total is set at 152 points.

Rutgers brings a straight-up four-game winning streak into Wednesday’s contest while going 3-1 against the spread. It failed to cover as a -5.5-point home favorite in last Thursday’s four-point win over Minnesota. The total has stayed UNDER in four of its last six games.

The Scarlet Knights lost to Iowa 77-75 on Jan. 2 but covered as three-point home underdogs. They are now 2-7 SU in the last nine meetings but 7-2 ATS.

Iowa has dropped four of its last five games SU while failing to cover ATS in all five contests. The total stayed UNDER in three of the five games. The total has gone OVER in 13 of the Hawkeyes’ last 20 games overall and it has gone OVER in four of their last six games against Rutgers.

Betting Analysis – Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 11-6
• ATS: 8-8-1
• SU - Home: 8-3
• SU - Away: 3-3
• O/U: 9-7-1

Geo Baker led the way against Minnesota with 16 points. Half of that total was scored in the final four minutes of the game. The senior guard is one of four players averaging at least 10 points per game.

Guard Ron Harper Jr. is at the top of that list with 16.8 PPG while shooting 45.9% from the field and 35.1% from three-point range. Center Myles Johnson is pulling down 8.6 of the team’s 36.2 rebounds a game, and guard Jacob Young (14.3 points) leads the way in assists (3.6).

Rutgers is averaging 72.6 points a game with a 46.5% shooting percentage from the field. This drops to 34.2% on three-point attempts. The defense is allowing an average of 68.3 PPG but this number drops to 58.8 points during the team’s current winning streak.

Betting Analysis – Iowa Hawkeyes

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 13-6
• ATS: 10-9
• SU - Home: 10-2
• SU - Away: 3-4
• O/U: 12-7

Iowa has sunk to 7-5 SU (5-7 ATS) in Big Ten play. The recent two-point loss to Indiana came in the closing seconds of the game. The team’s last three losses were by a combined 11 points.

To snap out of this funk, the Hawkeyes will need a big night from All-American center Luka Garza. He has failed to eclipse his 25.5-point scoring average in three of his last four starts (all loses). Garza pulled down a combined 13 rebounds in those games while averaging 8.4 a game on the year.

Another issue is the health of guard C.J. Fredrick (8.7 points). He missed his last two games with an injured leg. He remains questionable for Wednesday night.

Iowa, as a team, is averaging 87.9 points this season but it has only managed to score 75.6 points over the last five games. It has given up an average of 79 points during the same span.

Inside the Stats – Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• PS/G: 72.6 (153rd)
• PA/G: 68.3 (126th)
• Off Rtg: 104.7 (124th)
• Def Rtg: 98.5 (156th)

Inside the Stats – Iowa Hawkeyes

• PS/G: 87.8 (3rd)
• PA/G: 74.7 (279th)
• Off Rtg: 121.2 (3rd)
• Def Rtg: 103.1 (258th)

Key Players to Watch

• RUTG - Ron Harper, Jr. (16.8 PPG, 6 RPG)
• RUTG - Jacob Young (14.3 PPG)
• IOWA - Luka Garza (25.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG)
• IOWA - Joe Wieskamp (14.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG)

Rutgers-Iowa Predictions

The Scarlet Knights have the hot hand in this matchup, but Iowa is approaching an almost must-win situation in light of its current playing form. Betting strategy usually dictates staying with the hot team, but I'm not big on betting against Garza snapping out of his personal funk to lead his team to the SU win.

The hedge is taking Rutgers and the points in a tighter matchup then the current spread suggests. Each of these teams have struggled to reach its season scoring average during its last few outings. I see that changing in this game with the combined score going OVER the current total line.

• Score Prediction: Iowa 81 Rutgers 77
• Best Bets: Rutgers +6.5
• Best Bets: OVER

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