North Dakota vs Iowa Prediction - College Football Picks 11/7/23

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks and Iowa Hawkeyes face off on Tuesday in their opening college basketball game of the season at Carver-Hawkeye Stadium. 

North Dakota Gets More Experienced

North Dakota was a young team last season, those young guys going through the growing pains should only help this team this season. The only bad news for North Dakota heading into this season is that Tyree Ihenacho had his waiver denied and he’s going to have to sit out a season. One of the big guys that transferred in is Eli King who comes in from Iowa State. He is an explosive and athletic guard who should have a big season. Treysen Eaglestaff averaged 8.4 points per game last season and the hope is that he’s going to take a big step forward this season. In this game, the defense is going to need to step up and really try to put the pressure on Iowa. 

Will Iowa Take A Step Back?

Iowa finished last year with a 19-14 record overall but there is also a whole lot of talent gone from that team. Kris Murray, Filip Rebraca, and Connor McCaffrey were all x-factors on last year's squad but they are now gone. The top player back is Tony Perkins and he is averaging 12.3 points while shooting 33.3 percent from behind the three point line. With the other players gone, they are going to need him to have a big season, and he’s also going to take on a bigger leadership role. Payton Sandford came off the bench last season, and he’s going to need to have a big season here also. Ben Krikke and Even Brauns were brought in during the transfer portal and they are also going to be x-factors this season.