Iowa vs. Northwestern prediction, line: Hawkeyes got it covered

It seems like eons ago that Northwestern won at Michigan State and Indiana in a seven-day span in late December. Since then, the Wildcats have lost four straight games by at least 10 points. They’ll look to end that skid against Iowa on Sunday in Evanston, Ill.

Iowa handed Northwestern its first loss on the slide, 87-72, on Dec. 29. Both teams were able to shoot well from 3-point range, Iowa going 11-for-26 from distance and Northwestern 11-for-25. Iowa ranks 16th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage and Northwestern 35th.

Iowa doesn’t just have the leg up from the outside. Only Gonzaga is scoring more points on a per-possession basis, and Iowa leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and gets to face a Northwestern defense that is 193rd in points allowed on a per-possession basis.

Compared to most, Northwestern did a solid job of keeping Luka Garza in check as he accounted for 18 points and six rebounds in the first showdown. But the Wildcats were out rebounded 36-32 and allowed Jordan Bohannon open looks as he made six of his nine 3-point attempts.

While Northwestern declines, Iowa enters this matchup ascending with four straight wins, scoring at least 77 points in each. The Hawkeyes should complete the sweep of the season series on Sunday.

The play: Iowa, -9.

source: nypost.com