Iowa vs. Richmond Prediction: How Far Can The Hawkeyes' Offense Take Them?

Iowa vs. Richmond Prediction: How Far Can The Hawkeyes' Offense Take Them?

Iowa comes into this game as one of the hottest teams in the country. Iowa is 12-2 in their last 14 games, and they have been firing on all cylinders on offense. Iowa is ranked 2nd in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, 33rd in effective FG%, 3rd in lowest turnover %, 35th in 3-point %, and 66th in 2-point % so, they take really good care of the ball and are very efficient. They also play at one of the fastest paces in the country as they are 20th in lowest time of possession at 15.8 seconds per trip down the floor.

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Iowa vs. Richmond Prediction

Iowa is led by Keegan Murray who is an absolute matchup nightmare for defenses. Murray is a 6-foot-8 guard-forward combo who can beat you off the dribble and knock down outside shots with ease.

Murray is averaging 23/9/1 on 55% shooting and 38% from deep, which are just insane numbers in a good conference like the Big Ten. Iowa has also been getting massive contributions from Jordan Bohannon, who knocked down the game-winning 3 against Indiana. He's a lights-out shooter. Bohannon is a career 40% 3-point shooter and is shooting 39% this season while averaging 11 points, and 2 rebounds/assists per game. He can get hot at nearly any time and take over a game like he did against Indiana down the stretch. Richmond has somewhat struggled on defense this season as they are ranked 199th in defensive effective FG percentage, 219th in defensive 3-point percentage, and 184th in defensive 2-pointpercentage, so it could be a long day for the Spiders on the defensive side of the ball.

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Richmond comes into this game as bid stealers and winners of a loaded A-10 tournament. Richmond enteres this season with a lot of expectations and didn’t quite live up to them but made an incredible run through the A-10 tournament to get to this point.

Richmond was down by 14 points at half in their opening game, then came back to win. They went on to win outright as 3–5-point dogs in 3 straight games against VCU, Dayton, and Davidson to secure their berth in the tournament.

Richmond is a very experienced group as they are the 18th most experienced team in the nation, led by 6th-year seniors Grant Golden, Jacob Gilyard, Nathan Cayo, and Nick Sherod. But, Junior Trey Burton might be their best player as he is a 6-foot-7 forward averaging 17/8/2 on the season while 48% shooting from the floor and 38% from deep.

Burton, much like Keegan Murray, is a tough cover and I expect him and Golden to have big games as Iowa lacks a true post presence, which can be their downfall at times. Richmond has done a really good job this year of taking care of the ball on offense as they are ranked 9th in the nation in lowest offensive turnover percentage, so they rarely hurt themselves and usually find a quality shot.

Richmond really struggled against big and physical teams like VCU, Maryland, Mississippi State, and Drake. Iowa is not the most physically imposing team in the world and is more of a finesse team that beats you by outscoring you, so Richmond may be able to find some success against the Hawkeyes.

Iowa vs. Richmond Pick

Richmond has struggled all season with starting fast in the 1H. More often than not, they find themselves down at halftime and need a big 2H comeback to get back into the game. This has not been an issue for Iowa this year as they have been one of the more consistent 1H teams all season, and they've done it against top competition in the Big Ten. This makes my initial lean for this game IOWA 1H -5.5 and the 1H OVER 71 as I think Iowa goes into the break with a lead by a score of 43-32 or something in that area. If Iowa covers the 1H, it might be a good spot to live bet Richmond 2H as they have been strong in second halves this season after trailing at halftime. My official picks for this game are IOWA 1H -5.5 -113 and the 1H OVER 71 at -103. Both for 1U

• PICK: Iowa 1H -5.5 @ -113 (Bet $113 to win $100)
• PICK: 1H Over 71 @ -103 (Bet $103 to win $100)

Iowa vs. Richmond Line Movement