It’s already been a difficult year for the Maryland Terrapins.
Earlier this season, head coach Mark Turgeon agreed to mutually part ways (after more than 10 years with the program, following a disappointing 5-3 start. Interim head coach Danny Manning has started to get the team back on track, going 3-1 SU since taking over, but the Terps will play its first true road game of the year against a difficult Iowa Hawkeyes tonight.
Iowa is 10-3 SU on the year (8-1 at home) and is a lofty college basketball betting favorite for this Big Ten matchup.
Here are our best free college basketball picks and predictions for Maryland vs. Iowa on Monday, January 3.
Maryland vs Iowa odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Hawkeyes opened at -8 but can now be found at -7.5 at some books. Meanwhile, the total hasn’t moved since opening at 151.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Maryland vs Iowa predictions
Predictions made on 1/3/2022 at 8:47 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Maryland vs Iowa game info
• Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
• Date: Monday, January 3, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Big Ten Network
Maryland at Iowa betting preview
Injuries
Maryland: James Graham III F (Out).
Iowa: None to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Hawkeyes are 6-0 ATS in their last six games following a SU win. Find more NCAA betting trends for Maryland vs. Iowa.
Maryland vs Iowa picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Iowa offense is going to be tough to stop, as it is boasting a 54.6% effective field goal percentage while limiting turnovers at just 12.2% of its possessions — the best mark in college basketball — and Maryland is not a major threat to force a bunch of takeaways.
The Hawkeyes are shooting 35.2% from downtown and 55.8% from inside the arc while also converting at the line, shooting over 79% from the charity stripe. On top of that, Iowa is also grabbing nearly one-third of all available offensive rebounds and getting to the line at an above-average rate.
Simply put, the Hawkeyes are a major offensive threat regardless of the opponent.
Maryland... really isn’t. It averages just 70.3 points per game (compared to Iowa’s 87.9 ppg) and we're not quite sure the Terrapins can hang offensively on the road.
The Terps have an effective field goal percentage of just 47.4%, including just 30.2% on threes. Maryland gets to the line at a high rate but against Iowa, the free-throw chances will be limited.
Iowa's defense isn't as impressive as its offense, but it holds opponents to 32.1% from deep, while also forcing opponents to cough up the ball on 21.1% of their possessions.
Prediction: Iowa -7.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
We're positive Iowa will do its part to hit the Over... but we're not sure Maryland can and that’s why we're looking at the Under in this game.
As mentioned above, the Terps are scoring just over 70 ppg and will now take on an above-average defense in Iowa. Teams are using 18.2 seconds per possession against the Hawkeyes, which is 322nd in the league.
If Maryland’s offense plays a slow tempo in this game, without scoring buckets at a high rate, this game will go Under.
Prediction: Under 151.5 (-110)
Best bet
We're sticking with Iowa here. It’s hard to win games on the road in the Big Ten — and Maryland will get its first taste of an away game tonight, where facing Iowa is an unenviable task.
The Hawkeyes are 8-1 SU (6-3 ATS) at home this year and have one of the best offenses in college basketball — and Maryland just won't keep up.
Pick: Iowa -7.5 (-110)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
