Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, 12/3/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA

TV: Big Ten Network

Odds/Point Spread: Western Illinois (+36)

The Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) play the Western Illinois Leathernecks (0-0) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday. Western Illinois opens this game as 36-point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 156.5.

Western Illinois comes into this contest after finishing with a record of 5-21 last year. The Leathernecks shot 36.9% on shots from beyond the arc (226 of 612) and 78.3% from the free throw line. They had an average of 74.4 points per contest (134th in college hoops) while hitting 42.6% from the field. They turned it over 11.2 times per contest and as a squad committed 18.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Western Illinois pulled in 33.9 boards per game and earned 267 assists last season, which was 5th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock.
On the defensive end, the Leathernecks were able to force 11.5 turnovers per game and they drew 15.7 personal fouls. They were ranked 271st in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 318 surrendered over the course of last season. The Leathernecks gave up a field goal percentage of 47.9% (757 of 1,582) and they conceded 38.4 rebounds per game as a team. They surrendered 37.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they were 232nd in college basketball in points per game allowed (81.8).

The Western Illinois Leathernecks stepped onto the hardwood against the Denver Pioneers and went home with a loss by a final score of 69-63 in their last contest. Western Illinois ended with a 35.5% field goal percentage (22 of 62) and buried 11 out of their 29 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Leathernecks knocked down 8 of 9 shots for a rate of 88.9%. In terms of getting rebounds, they collected a total of 34 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 8 dimes for this contest while earning 4 steals and 2 blocks. With regard to defending, Western Illinois allowed their opponent to shoot 35.5% from the floor on 22 of 62. Denver dished out 10 dimes and 7 steals for the game. Moreover, the Pioneers pulled down 40 rebounds (7 offensive, 33 defensive) and had 2 rejections. Denver finished 74.1% when shooting free throws by knocking down 20 of their 27 tries. They also converted 3 of 18 tries from three-point range.

Ben Pyle is someone who saw a lot of action for the matchup. He walked away with 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 38 minutes and collected 5 boards. Pyle ended up going 50.0% from the field and totaled 2 dimes. An additional guy that saw a lot of action in this contest for the Leathernecks was Kobe Webster. He collected 3 boards and also earned 2 dimes. He shot 20.0% from the floor for this contest by going 4-of-20 (12 points). When the final whistle blew, Webster saw the court for 35 min.

Iowa has a mark of 2-0 this season. The Hawkeyes have committed 16.5 personal fouls every game and they shoot 76.7% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 23.5 times per contest (8th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 9.5 times per contest. Iowa has 200 pts for the campaign (100.0 per game) and they grab 40.5 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes are shooting 51.6% from the field, which ranks them 120th in D-1. The Hawkeyes on the defensive end are ranked 158th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 71.5. They are able to force 15.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.2% from the floor (105th in the country). The Iowa defense surrenders 32.5% on shots from distance (13 of 40) and opponents are connecting on 77.8% of their free throw shots. They allow 12.5 dimes and 35.0 boards per game, which ranks them 146th and 123rd in those categories on the defensive end.

In their last game, the Iowa Hawkeyes walked away with a victory by a final of 103-76 against the Southern Jaguars. The Hawkeyes corralled 25 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 35 for the game. They also turned away 6 attempts while getting 4 steals for this contest. The Jaguars committed 28 fouls in this matchup which took the Hawkeyes to the charity stripe for 31 shots. They were able to convert 23 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 74.2%. In terms of three-point attempts, Iowa converted 12 of 24 tries (50.0%). Overall, the Hawkeyes finished the game shooting 34 for 62 from the floor which had them at 54.8%. The Hawkeyes permitted the Jaguars to knock down 27 out of 70 tries from the floor which had them at 38.6% for the matchup. They went 33.3% from beyond the arc by shooting 7 of 21 and finished the game at 15 out of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). Regarding how they attacked the glass, Iowa permitted Southern to snag 35 in all (15 offensive).

Luka Garza ended up being important for the Hawkeyes for the contest. He made 14 out of 15 for this game for a rate of 93.3%, which had him finishing with 41 points. Garza collected 9 boards in his 29 mins and had 2 assists in the game. One more player who came through for Iowa was Jordan Bohannon. He ended up with 5 points in his 28 minutes played via 2 out of 7 from the floor in this contest. Bohannon finished going 28.6% from the floor while also totaling 7 assists and 3 rebounds.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Iowa (-36) and under 156.5 points

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