College Basketball Picks & Predictions: Oregon vs. Iowa (Wednesday)
The 2024-25 college basketball season rolls on with another loaded Wednesday night of games to wager on. Our top men’s college basketball bets today feature a massive Mountain West matchup between New Mexico and Boise State. Plus, we lock in picks for Gonzaga vs. Washington State in the West Coast Conference and then Oregon vs. Iowa in the Big Ten.
Note that all betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these college basketball picks and predictions for Wednesday, February 19’s game Oregon vs. Iowa.
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Wednesday's Best College Basketball Bets: Oregon vs. Iowa
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Oregon vs. Iowa
Let's wrap things up with a Big Ten matchup between Oregon and Iowa. As the spread and total suggest, this should be a back-and-forth contest with plenty of points. Let's at least count on the latter as we grab the Over.
Iowa's style of play naturally leads to high-scoring games. The Hawkeyes play at the 26th-quickest pace in the country and rank 11th nationally in offensive tempo. They're also a top-30 offense in the spot, per KenPom. Simply put, Iowa loves to run the court and score fast - and they do it pretty well.
Fran McCaffery's squad is shooting 37.5% from three-point range (30th in Division I) and 57.8% on two-pointers (12th). Iowa also boasts the lowest offensive turnover and block rates in the Big Ten this year, ranking 10th and 21st nationally in those categories, respectively. That's key at home when facing an Oregon defense that's just average in both areas.
Bank on Iowa to dictate the uptempo flow and be efficient offensively at home here. The Hawkeyes have been inconsistent on offense recently but should be better tonight after returning home from an East Coast trip.
Speaking of that trip, Iowa's defense just gave up 101 points to Maryland over the weekend. That's the other end of the coin for the Hawkeyes. They rank dead last in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency, defensive rebounding, three-point defense, two-point defense, and effective field goal percentage allowed. Not great, Bob!
Oregon has also been up and down offensively, but this is a great matchup. The Ducks are averaging 75.4 PPG over the past five games and can exceed that number in a fast-paced game against a poor defense. They rank 36th nationally in offensive efficiency this season and are shooting an above-average 35.2% from three in conference play.
Meanwhile, Oregon has its own holes on defense. The Ducks rank 12th out of 18 Big Ten teams in opposing effective field goal percentage while allowing a 36.2% three-point rate in conference play (13th). Their defense has especially struggled on the road lately, allowing 80.4 PPG over the last five away games.
Pick: Over 160.5 Total Points (-115)