Wisconsin
vs.
Iowa
College Basketball
Pick with Analysis
1/31/15
A rematch with Wisconsin is not the remedy that Iowa needs after losing two straight Games. Just a week ago, the Hawkeyes were looking solid, coming off a win against Ohio State and back in the Top 25. The Badgers got a scare of their own, but managed to beat Michigan in overtime on Sunday.
The first time these teams played, Jan. 20, it wasn’t much of a Game. At home, Wisconsin easily disposed of Iowa winning 82-50. Nothing about the Game was close as the Badgers had a large lead from the start. Four of their starters reached double figures and they won the rebounding battle 37 to 23. Iowa wasn’t that bad from the floor shooting 43.5%, they just couldn’t get offensive boards or do anything on the defensive end.
The news gets worse for Iowa as starting forward Aaron White is questionable for this Game after leaving Saturday’s Game due to a stinger in his shoulder. If he can’t play, winning this Game would be a monumental task for the Hawkeyes considering how the first Game looked.
Iowa has been hit-or-miss this season, even at home. They beat Ohio State, but collapsed in the second half against Michigan State and lost to Iowa State by 15. In the last decade, Wisconsin has the best road record in the Big Ten if that says anything.
However, it should be noted that the Badgers have looked surprisingly beatable in their last two road Games. The first one includedan unexplainable loss at Rutgers in which they were outscored by 17 points in the second half and more recently they let Michigan back in Sunday’s Game, but prevailed in overtime.
But despite losing point guard Traevon Jackson, this team continues to churn out wins including the previously mentioned blowout against Iowa.
Aaron White leads the Hawkeyes in scoring, rebounding and steals, so his importance is evident. Even if White plays, someone else on this team will have to step up. That’s exactly what didn’t happen last matchup when Jarrod Uthoff led the team with 12 points and no other starter surpassed seven. White along with Gabriel Olaseni and Adam Woodbury will have trouble defensively against Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes. Both are athletically skilled big guys and not many teams in the nation are fit to stop them.
Uthoff will need better than a 2-of-14 shooting day (line in Purdue loss) and Mike Gesell will need more than two points (first Wisconsin Game). A lot of things have to go right for the Hawkeyes to give them a chance, but without someone that can take over when others are struggling, this team will continue to have trouble with consistency.
Wisconsin had an average Game shooting-wise in the first matchup and still scored 82 points. Iowa will need to figure out how to limit offensive boards against the bigger team. Kaminsky and Hayes are already problems, but Sam Dekker is still a guy that Iowa can’t really match up with. And when the Hawkeyes are forced to double team on the big guys, Wisconsin has the shooters to fill it up on the outside in Josh Gasser and Bronson Koenig, among others.
Iowa doesn’t want to lose three straight Games, but to get a win here, they will need to do a much better job rebounding, in addition to scoring. An upset isn’t out of the cards as Wisconsin has struggled on the road, but the Hawkeyes will need to play better than what they’ve shown in the last week.
Our Pick – Wisconsin by 1