No. 9 Iowa faces its toughest back-to-back challenges of the season, starting with a road test Thursday at No. 3 Michigan.
Early lines at DraftKings place the Hawkeyes at +5.5 against the Wolverines. Iowa sports betting fans can stay on top of the live odds at PlayIA.com.
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Hawkeye fans have two games left to take advantage of the offer. Iowa has another road test Sunday, Feb. 28, when they travel to No. 4 Ohio State — it’s the final day to take advantage of the DraftKings promotion.
But, first up is the road trip to Ann Arbor. The tip for Thursday’s game is 6 p.m.; ESPN will carry the top 10 matchup.
Iowa vs. Michigan odds
Iowa seeks fifth-straight win
Iowa’s four-game winning streak vaulted the team back into the top 10 of the Associated Press men’s basketball poll on Monday.
The Hawkeyes (17-6, 11-5) used a strong second half to get a 74-68 win over Penn State a day earlier. At his weekly press conference Tuesday, coach Fran McCaffrey said team defense has been more consistent during the winning streak:
“It starts with transition defense and then it goes to ball screen defense and then guarding dribble penetration, but rebounding that first miss is critical. We’ll be challenged in a big way with Michigan — the way they offensive rebound.”
Michigan seeks six-in-a-row
The Wolverines (16-1, 11-1) are on a five-game winning streak. They came away with a 92-87 win Sunday at Ohio State. Center Hunter Dickinson finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Dickinson will be paired up against Luka Garza, Iowa’s all-time leading scorer. Garza passed the late Roy Marble on Iowa’s all-time list with a layup with 8:18 left in Sunday’s game. McCaffrey expects a physical battle between Garza and Dickinson under the rim:
“He’s one of the best centers in the country, so it’s always going to be a challenge for Luka. He’s good in the low post — he’s a good passing big man. He runs well. He’s physical. But it’s like every game in this league, you’re going against somebody like that. If it’s not Myles Johnson (of Rutgers) it’s Kofi Cockburn (of Illinois), it’s Nate Reuvers (of Wisconsin). You just keep going.”
Iowa leads the country with six wins over the top 25 opponents this season.
