Two of the stingiest defenses in college basketball will face off in a Big Ten matchup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday.
No. 9 Nebraska (22-3) will visit Iowa (18-7) in hopes of securing a second straight victory after rebounding from its loss to No. 7 Purdue last week by topping Northwestern. The hosts are looking to avoid suffering a second consecutive loss after losing to the Boilermakers over the weekend.
Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Below, we’ll go over some PrizePicks Nebraska vs. Iowa prediction, spread, and picks.
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Nebraska vs. Iowa Prediction, Spread, Picks
This game doesn’t appear to have the makings of a barn burner on paper, as both teams excel at generating stops. Nebraska and Iowa are thriving on defense for different reasons, though.
The Cornhuskers are giving up the second-fewest points per game (66.0) in the Big Ten, and their success has stemmed from their focus on defending the painted area. Nebraska has consistently swarmed the lane to contest close-range shots and funnelled opposing teams into traps in the corners, forcing opponents into taking difficult shots from deep late in the shot clock. Those attempts haven’t been successful, though.
While the Cornhuskers are giving up a Big Ten-high 29.2 3-point attempts per game, opposing teams are shooting just 29.9% from distance against them. That’s the second-lowest mark in the conference. Nebraska can take control of this game by limiting Iowa’s quality looks.
The Hawkeyes boast an elite scoring defense and give up a conference-low 64.9 points per contest, but don’t want teams putting up attempts from distance. No Big Ten team has allowed fewer 3-point attempts (19.1) or 3-point makes (6.2) per game this season. That makes it hard for opposing teams to pull away from Iowa in a hurry.
Iowa is slow-paced on offense and attempts the second-fewest shots per game (53.9) in the Big Ten, but remains efficient. The Hawkeyes rank third in team field goal percentage (50.1%) and 3-point percentage (36.8%) in the conference. They can be competitive if they create their usual high-percentage looks.
Nebraska vs. Iowa Over/Under, Spread
Iowa will enter Tuesday’s game as a 1.5 -point home favorite, returning a 1.78x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
Nebraska is a road underdog with a 1.88x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Iowa -1.5
- Over/Under: 139.5
- Game Winner Payout: Nebraska 1.88x | Iowa 1.78x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Nebraska vs. Iowa Prediction on Spread
- Nebraska is 6-1 against the spread on the road.
- The Cornhuskers are 4-0 against the spread as underdogs.
- Iowa is 2-3 against the spread when it’s faced ranked teams this season.
- The Hawkeyes have failed to cover in three consecutive games.
- The visitors are one of the three Big Ten teams making at least 11.0 triples per contest.
Nebraska vs. Iowa Picks for PrizePicks: Tuesday, February 17
Both teams’ top options on offense could blow past their projections on PrizePicks. Nebraska F Pryce Sandfort and Iowa G Bennett Stirtz are potential targets.
Nebraska F Pryce Sandfort vs. Iowa Projection: 16.5 Points
- The Iowa native is set to face his old school in his home state for the first time in his collegiate career.
- The junior sharpshooter averages more minutes (35.5), shots (13.4), and points (17.8) per game on the road.
- Sandfort averages 18.8 points against ranked opponents.
- The Cornhuskers’ leading scorer has eclipsed 16 points in 13 of the 25 games he’s appeared in this season.
Iowa G Bennett Stirtz vs. Nebraska Projection: 23.5 Points
- Stirtz has fallen short of 20 points in all four of his games against ranked teams.
- Nebraska boasts college basketball’s eighth-ranked adjusted defensive rating (92.5), per KenPom.
- The Hawkeyes star attempts 46.3% of his shots from beyond the arc.
- The senior’s road scoring average (21.1) is higher than his home scoring average (19.9).
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Make Nebraska vs. Iowa CBB Picks on PrizePicks
Nebraska and Iowa are defensive powerhouses, but both teams depend on capable snipers to power their offenses. Pryce Sandfort and Bennett Stirtz are worth watching in Tuesday’s matchup between the Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes, as points might be hard to come by.
Make your Nebraska vs. Iowa picks at PrizePicks, where you can earn real-money rewards for your predictions if you’re right. Just choose players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and follow the hoops action to see if your picks hit. You can make picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 34 states.
Keep tabs on the Playbook for continued College Basketball predictions, picks, and news.
