This year, the 5-9 seeds in the Big Ten conference standings all receive single byes in the conference tournament. Ohio State (17-10) currently sits in the No. 9 seed as it rolls into the Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on the No. 8 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (19-8).
Both teams are 9-7 in conference play, so tonight's game could have serious implications for conference tournament seeding.
Ohio State vs. Iowa tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday from Iowa City, IA., live on The Big Ten Network.
Below, we’ll break down our Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction, spread, and picks for Wednesday’s game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals.
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Ohio State vs. Iowa Prediction, Spread, NCAAB Picks for February 25
It’s been another quality season thus far for Ohio State, sitting at 17-10 this season and 9-7 in conference play. As long as they can win a few of their remaining games, they will have taken a step forward from last year's record of 17-15 and 9-11, respectively.
Much like last season, they have been led by senior G Bruce Thornton, one of the Big Ten's best players. Thornton is averaging 20.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game on 54.6% shooting from the field, remarkable efficiency for just a 6’2 guard. He’ll certainly be tested tonight vs. Iowa, who has a dynamic senior guard in their own right in Bennett Stirtz.
Stirtz was the third-ranked player in the transfer portal this year. The former Drake guard has proven his worth to this Hawkeyes team, leading them in points (20.6) and assists (4.5). Much like Thornton, he is incredibly efficient for a high-volume shooting 6’2 guard. He shoots 50.9% from the field, 39.4% from 3-point range, and always seems to rise in the biggest moments for Iowa, which could certainly be needed again tonight.
Ohio State vs. Iowa Over/Under, Spread
The Hawkeyes enter Wednesday’s game as 6.5-point home favorites, returning a 1.35x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright, due to how sizable a favorite they are.
The Buckeyes are road underdogs with a 3.03x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Iowa Hawkeyes -6.5 (1.85x payout)
- Over/Under: 142.5 (1.81x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Buckeyes 3.03x | Hawkeyes 1.35x
Team Picks payouts are live as of publishing and are subject to change.
Ohio State vs. Iowa Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to help you make your Ohio State vs. Iowa prediction on the spread on Wednesday, February 25.
- Iowa is 16-11-0 (59.3%) against the spread (ATS) this season, the third-best record in the Big Ten.
- Ohio State is 12-14-1 (46.2%) ATS this year, the sixth-worst covering percentage in the conference. They have also struggled on the road, going 4-5 straight up compared to 12-3 at home.
- Iowa could have a lot of second-chance opportunities on the glass tonight against an Ohio State team that ranks 224th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage (31.6%).
- When they get these opportunities, they are likely to be converted into points at a high rate as Ohio State ranks 169th in 2-point defensive percentage (51.4%).
- This is especially troublesome against this Hawkeyes team that ranks 19th nationally in offensive 2-point percentage at 58.6%, 6.9% above the national average.
Ohio State vs. Iowa Picks for PrizePicks Today: Wednesday, February 25
Here are two of the top Ohio State vs. Iowa picks to target for Wednesday, February 25, on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by G Bruce Thornton and G Bennett Stirtz.
Ohio State G Bruce Thornton vs. Iowa Projection: 28.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Thornton is averaging 29.7 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) this season.
- In his last matchup vs. Iowa in the Big Ten conference tournament last year, Thornton went from 24-9-3 (36 PRA).
- Iowa struggles defensively in a few categories that play to Thornton’s strength.
- The Hawkeyes' defense ranks 182nd in effective field goal percentage (51.4%), troubling against a guard like Thornton, who, as highlighted above, is incredibly efficient from the field.
- Additionally, the Hawkeyes' defense ranks 252nd in free-throw rate (37.9) and 170th in 3-point rate (39.1). Thornton is getting to the line a career-high five times per game and is shooting 38.6% from deep this season.
G Bennett Stirtz vs. Ohio State Projection: 31.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Despite how talented Stirtz is, this is a big number to hit in a 40-minute college basketball game. He has only had more than this projection in 8/27 (29.6%) games this year.
- Stirtz is averaging 27.5 PRA this season. He is also averaging 1.1 fewer points per game at home.
- The pace of the game should be fairly slow, as reflected in the 142.5 total projection. Iowa ranks 350th in tempo, while Ohio State ranks 229th.
- The Buckeyes’ defense has 30.8% from deep this season, 3.2% lower than the national average and 34th overall.
- This could be troublesome for Stirtz, who averages almost half his field-goal attempts from 3-point range (6.3 out of 13.8).
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Make Ohio State vs. Iowa NCAAB Picks on PrizePicks
The middle of the Big Ten standings is fairly congested, but tonight’s game will give us a glimpse at who really deserves a first-round bye come tournament time.
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