After a week off, the Iowa Hawkeyes are back in action as they open Big Ten conference play tonight against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Cats come into the night a bit closer to the action after playing in the Arizona Tip-Off over the Thanksgiving weekend. Northwestern dropped their only non-road game of the season to Butler in their opener 71-69, but bounced back with a 66-61 win over UNLV.
That other loss on the year came back in early November when NW traveled to Dayton and dropped the matchup 71-66. The Wildcats are averaging 72.6 points per game on the year, boosted by outbursts against Lehigh and UIC early in the year. They rank 103rd nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency.
Junior Nick Martinelli leads the Wildcats in both scoring and rebounding at 20.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The 6’7” forward as led the team in scoring in four of their eight games. Meanwhile, senior guard Brooks Barnhizer is close on his heels at 20 points per game this year, leading the team twice. Iowa will need to slow down the duo, as well as Fairfield transfer guard Jalen Leach, who is shooting 40% from deep.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM CT. Here’s a look at the full details for tonight’s matchup.
Date: Tuesday, December 3rd
Time: 6:00 pm CT
Matchup: Northwestern Wildcats (6-2, 0-0) at Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1, 0-0)
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA
TV: Peacock
DraftKings Line: Iowa -5.5, O/U 148.5
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
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Go Hawks!