Iowa Hawkeyes vs Wisconsin Badgers Prediction, 2/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Wisconsin Badgers

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Location: Kohl Center in Madison, WI

TV: ESPN+

The Iowa Hawkeyes (19-7) are hitting the road to Kohl Center on Sunday where they will take on the Wisconsin Badgers (18-8).

The Iowa Hawkeyes took the court against Nebraska and went home with a win by a final score of 57-52 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Hawkeyes ended up walking away with 14 and Nebraska had 18 personal fouls. They also knocked down 5 of their 24 attempts from 3-point range. Nebraska finished the game at 78.6% when shooting free throws by making 11 of 14 tries. Additionally, Nebraska collected 22 rebounds (2 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Nebraska totaled 10 dimes and had 9 steals in the game. When discussing defending, Iowa allowed the other team to go 40.9% from the field on 18 out of 44 shooting. They also doled out 5 dimes in this matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In the matter of getting rebounds, they earned a total of 33 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Hawkeyes converted 17 of their 18 shots for a rate of 94.4%. Iowa wrapped up the contest with a 33.3% field goal percentage (17 out of 51) and converted 6 out of their 23 three-point shots.

Bennett Stirtz is someone who was a contributor in the matchup. He ended up shooting 36.4% from the floor and also earned 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 40 mins and also pulled down 2 boards. He notched 25 points on 8 out of 22 shooting.

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Iowa comes into this matchup with a mark of 19-7 on the year. They are turning it over 9.7 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Iowa is collecting 30.2 boards per contest and has accounted for 394 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 130th in the nation in terms of passing. The Hawkeyes are connecting on 36.3% on 3-point shots (206 of 567) and 77.1% from the free throw line. They average 76.2 pts per contest (172nd in college hoops) while connecting on 49.5% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Hawkeyes are forcing 13.5 turnovers every game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They give up 31.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 10th in college in opponents PPG (64.4). The Hawkeyes defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 44.7% (579 of 1,294) and they concede 28.6 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 20th in D-1 in giving up assists with 286 surrendered for the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Wisconsin Badgers took a defeat with a final score of 86-69 against Ohio State. The Badgers earned 17 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 27 for the game. They turned the ball over 11 times, while getting 4 steals for this contest. Ohio State was called for 16 fouls for the contest which got the Badgers to the charity stripe for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to make 8 of the free throws for a rate of 50.0%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, Wisconsin knocked down 7 of 26 tries (26.9%). At the conclusion of this game, the Badgers went 27 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.8%. The Badgers allowed Ohio State to convert 31 out of 57 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 54.4% for the matchup. They shot 52.4% from downtown by shooting 11 of 21 and ended up going 13 of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). In the matter of rebounding, Wisconsin allowed Ohio State to pull down 33 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Braeden Carrington ended up being a factor for the Badgers in this contest. He converted 6 out of 14 in this matchup giving him a rate of 42.9%, and accounted for 1 rebound. He tallied 20 points in his 29 mins on the court and accounted for 2 dimes in this contest.

Wisconsin has a win-loss record of 18-8 on the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Badgers are shooting 45.0% from the floor, which ranks 201st in Division 1. Wisconsin has accounted for 2,161 points this season (83.1 per game) and they grab 36.4 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.7 times per game (79th in college hoops) and they cough up possession 9.3 times per contest. The Badgers are responsible for committing 17.6 fouls per contest while shooting 77.0% from the free throw line.

The Wisconsin defense surrenders 33.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (212 of 632) and their opponents are making 73.0% of their free throw shots. They concede 13.2 dimes and 34.3 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 166th and 181st in the country. The Badgers on defense are ranked 241st in college hoops in PPG given up with 76.0. They are able to force 10.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.3% from the field (198th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Wisconsin

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