Penn State vs Iowa Prediction 1/24/25 College Basketball Picks

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Friday in college basketball action from the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Penn State vs. Iowa prediction.

Penn State Recap

The Penn State Nittany Lions come into this game looking to build on their 80-72 win over Rutgers last time out to improve to 13-6 on the year. After this game, Penn State will head on the road for a matchup with Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, and UCLA.

Nittany Lions Looking To Build Momentum

Ace Baldwin Jr. leads Penn State in scoring and assists with 14.7 PPG and 8.1 APG along with a team-high 2.1 SPG as well this season. Nick Kern Jr. has 12.6 PPG with 5.1 RPG while Yanic Konan Niederhauser has 12.4 PPG with a team-high 6.4 RPG to lead Penn State in rebounding up to this point in the year. Zach Hicks has 12.1 PPG with 4.6 RPG while Freddie Dillone V and Puff Johnson each have 10.2 PPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Penn State this season. As a team, Penn State is averaging 84.2 PPG on 48.8% shooting from the field, 34.7% from behind the arc, and 76% from the foul line this season.

Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win

• Penn State has won seven of its last eight night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Iowa has lost four of its last five games when playing with a rest disadvantage.

Iowa Recap

The Iowa Hawkeyes come into this game looking to bounce back from a 72-67 loss to Minnesota last time out to fall to 12-7 on the year. After this game, the Hawkeyes will go on the road to take on Ohio State.

Hawkeyes Lose Third In A Row

Owen Freeman leads the Hawkeyes in scoring and rebounding with 16.9 PPG and 6.5 RPG while Payton Sandfort has 16.5 PPG with 5.7 RPG and 3 APG. Josh Dix has 14.1 PPG with 3.2 RPG and 2.7 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Iowa up to this point in the year. Brock Harding also has 9.5 PPG with a team-high 6.3 APG to lead the Hawkeyes in assists while Pryce Sandfort has 8.4 PPG and Drew Thelwell has 9.9 PPG with 3.1 APG. As a team, Iowa is averaging 87.3 PPG on 50.5% shooting from the field, 38.7% from three, and 69.1% from the foul line this season.

Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win

• The home team has won each of the last eight games between Penn State and Iowa.
• Penn State has lost each of its last four games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Penn State’s last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents has produced a total of 164 or fewer points.
• Thirty of Iowa’s last 37 night games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 168 or fewer points.

Penn State Vs. Iowa Prediction

I’m on the over in this one. This should be a fun one as Penn State has a ton of scoring depth, and Iowa, even if this team is banged up, plays at such a high-octane pace at home, that they can put up points in bunches regardless of when those points are called upon. It’s a high total, but I honestly think it’s high for a reason as there’s a good chance this game hits the 180s when all is said and done. Give me the over in this one.