Iowa vs Nebraska Picks and Odds (Feb 25)

• The Iowa vs Nebraska odds favor the Hawkeyes by 11.5-points on Friday (Feb. 25) at 9pm ET
• These two teams rank last and second last in the Big Ten in scoring defense
• Read below for the Iowa vs Nebraska odds, analysis, and betting prediction

The #25-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are the lone ranked program in action on Friday night (Feb. 25). The Hawkeyes travel to Nebraska to face the Cornhuskers, looking to extend their winning streak.

Tip-off is scheduled for just after 9pm ET at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE, with FS1 providing the broadcast coverage

Iowa vs Nebraska Odds

Odds as of Feb. 24th at BetMGM.

The Hawkeyes are 11.5-point favorites, in a contest that features a total of 161.5.

Currently sitting 18th in the NET Rankings, Iowa came in as a #4 seed in this week’s March Madness bracket projection.

Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Analysis

Iowa has won back-to-back games, both versus teams who were ranked higher than them in the Big Ten standings, and oddsmakers aren’t expecting much of a fight from Nebraska.

Iowa has won five of six overall, but still sit 3.5 games back of #4 Purdue in the loaded Big Ten standings. Last time out, they trounced Michigan State 86-60, beating the Spartans for the third straight time.

Keegan Murray led the way offensively with 28 points, his 19th 20+ point performance of the season. He made 10-of-15 field goal attempts, and enters play ranked fourth nationally in points per game.

What a win for Iowa. Hawkeyes go to Columbus and get a road victory over Ohio State.

Keegan Murray also deserving of National Player of Year consideration. Has done everything for the Hawkeyes this season.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 19, 2022

Khris Murray and Jordan Bohannon each added 11 points for the Hawkeyes, as they shot 43% from the field, and 42% from long range. Iowa boasts the Big Ten’s number one offense, averaging 83.6 points per game, which also ranks fourth in the country.

😱 @jtoussaint_2 😱#WinningWednesday x @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/10lpMWMsz8

— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) February 23, 2022

Defensively, it’s a different story. They did an excellent job against the Spartans, holding them to 35% from the field, but that kind of performance is uncommon. Iowa ranks 13th out of 14 programs in the conference in scoring defense, yielding 71 points per game.

That’s one of the main reasons their odds to win March Madness are a long +10000, level with a Michigan State team that’s 18 spots worse in the NET.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Analysis

The Cornhuskers meanwhile, probably can’t wait for this season to be over. They’re 1-15 in conference play so far, and have dropped 13 of their past 14 contests. Last time out, they fell 77-65 to Northwestern, which was their fourth double-digit defeat in their past five games.

Final. pic.twitter.com/Zz35nl0Zvh

— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) February 23, 2022

Alonzo Verge Jr. and Bryce McGowens paced the offense with 15 points apiece, but it was another tough night at the defensive end. Nebraska allowed the Wildcats to shoot 50% from the field, and 40.6% from three. Perimeter defense has been an issue for the Cornhuskers all season, as they rank 240th in opponent field goal percentage, and are 261st at defending the three-point line.

And with that loss the Nebraska Cornhuskers have lost 20 games three years in a row under Fred Hoiberg. Prior to Hoibergs arrival Nebraska has ZERO seasons that finished with 20 or more losses

— Bryan Mauro (@threecolorbeard) February 23, 2022

Nebraska ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, yielding 8 more points per game than 13th place Iowa (79). Offensively, they rank middle of the pack in the conference in most categories, but it’s hard to stack victories when you’re surrendering nearly 80 points per outing.

Iowa vs Nebraska Pick

In a matchup featuring one of the best offenses in the country, and two of the worst defenses in the country, the over is going to garner attention. That was the case the last time these two programs met, and they wound up surpassing the 159 point total by 14 points.

Another reason to expect plenty of offense in this matchup is the pace at which both teams play. Nebraska ranks 13th in raw tempo per KenPom, while only eight teams average a shorter possession length than Iowa.

The over has been extremely kind to Iowa sports bettors this season: 18 of the Hawkeyes’ 27 games have cleared the total, including 10 of 16 conference outings, and I like that trend to continue on Friday.

As for the Cornhuskers, the over is 10-6 in their conference games as well, and 12-7 in contests where they’re catching points.

Pick: Over 161.5 (-110)