Michigan Wolverines vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, 3/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan Wolverines vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA

TV: ESPN+

Carver-Hawkeye Arena is the site where the Iowa Hawkeyes (20-9) will compete against the Michigan Wolverines (27-2) on Thursday.

The Michigan Wolverines stepped onto the hardwood against Illinois and earned the victory with a final of 84-70 in their last contest. Michigan wrapped up the contest having earned a 52.5% FG percentage (31 out of 59) and made 8 of their 22 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Wolverines made 14 of 17 tries for a percentage of 82.4%. In terms of pulling down boards, they collected 30 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 15 assists for the game as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In terms of defense, Michigan allowed the other team to shoot 41.3% from the field on 26 of 63 shooting. Illinois recorded 9 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Illinois pulled down 24 rebounds (11 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Illinois ended up going 75.0% from the free throw line by burying 9 of their 12 shots. They buried 9 of 29 attempts from 3-point range. Regarding personal fouls, the Wolverines ended up walking away with 14 while Illinois finished the game with 13 personal fouls.

Aday Mara is someone who was important for this game. He ended up going 88.9% from the floor and earned 2 assists. He was on the court for 22 minutes played and also collected 5 rebounds. He racked up 19 points on 8 out of 9 shooting.

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Michigan enters this one with a record of 27-2 this season. They are averaging 89.0 points per game (8th in college) while hitting 51.0% from the field. The Wolverines are connecting on 36.0% on three-point attempts (272 of 755) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Michigan is pulling down 40.7 rebounds per contest and has earned 557 dimes so far this season, which is 9th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.0 times per game and as a team are committing 15.8 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Wolverines are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.8 personal fouls. They are conceding 29.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 53rd in the country in points per game allowed (68.7). The Wolverines defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 37.8% (699 of 1,850) and they relinquish 31.5 rebounds per game as a squad. They are 5th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 310 conceded for the campaign.

For their last game, the Iowa Hawkeyes took a defeat with a final score of 71-69 against Penn State. When it comes to rebounding, Iowa permitted Penn State to collect 23 in total (2 offensive). They went 60.0% from distance by shooting 9 out of 15 and finished the game at 12 out of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Hawkeyes allowed Penn State to convert 25 of 39 attempts from the field which left them shooting 64.1% for this game. When this game wrapped up, the Hawkeyes walked away from this one shooting 26 for 57 from the floor which had them at 45.6%. Concerning 3-point shots, Iowa made 9 out of 28 attempts (32.1%). They were able to convert 8 of those for a rate of 88.9%. Penn State committed 13 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Hawkeyes to the charity stripe for a total of 9 attempts. They coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. The Hawkeyes earned 13 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 for the game.

Cooper Koch ended up having an impact for the Hawkeyes for the contest. He made 6 of 9 for this game for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and accounted for 1 rebound. He scored 18 points in his 31 minutes on the court and tallied 1 assist in this matchup.

Iowa has a mark of 20-9 for the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Hawkeyes are connecting on 49.5% from the field, which is ranked 21st in the country. Iowa has accumulated 2,195 points this season (75.7 per contest) and they average 29.8 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 15.1 times per game (105th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.5 times per game. The Hawkeyes are responsible for committing 17.7 fouls per contest and they shoot 77.5% from the free throw line.

The Iowa defense surrenders 33.3% on shots from 3-point land (185 of 555) and their opponents are converting on 73.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 11.2 dimes and 28.2 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 31st and 1st in the country. The Hawkeyes defensively are ranked 11th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 65.0. They are forcing 13.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 45.5% from the floor (259th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Michigan

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