The No. 2 seeded Iowa Hawkeyes look to advance further than they have in quite some time and will try to take the first step toward that goal when they face the No. 15 seeded Grand Canyon Antelopes in a 2021 NCAA Tournament first-round matchup on Saturday. Iowa (21-8, 14-6), which is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance, has lost in the first weekend of each of its past seven appearances. Grand Canyon (17-6, 9-3), making its first NCAA appearance, has won three in a row and 13 of its last 16. The Hawkeyes are looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
The game from Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis is scheduled to begin at 6:25 p.m. ET. Grand Canyon is averaging 75.6 points per game, while Iowa averages 83.8. The Hawkeyes are 14-point favorites in the latest Iowa vs. Grand Canyon odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 144.5. Before making any Grand Canyon vs. Iowa picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned almost $500 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Iowa vs. Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Grand Canyon vs. Iowa:
- Grand Canyon vs. Iowa spread: Iowa -14
- Grand Canyon vs. Iowa over-under: 144.5 points
- Grand Canyon vs. Iowa money line: Grand Canyon +800, Iowa -1400
- GCU: Allowed 61.1 points per game, ninth-best in Division 1
- IOWA: Making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under 11th-year head coach Fran McCaffery
Why Iowa can cover
While All-American center Luka Garza (23.7 ppg) draws most of the headlines, the Hawkeyes have five other players averaging 7.1 points per game, including senior Jordan Bohannon. An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by league coaches and media, had a game-best eight assists and 16 second-half points in a home win over No. 25 Wisconsin, including 5 of 5 at the free throw line in the final 1:08. He scored a season-high 26 points, tying a career high with eight 3-pointers, in a win over Nebraska on March 4. For the season, he is averaging 10.9 points, 4.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Also leading the Hawkeyes’ attack is sophomore guard CJ Fredrick, who is averaging 7.8 points, two assists and 1.1 rebounds per game. He is connecting on 48.6 percent of his field goals, including 49.3 percent from 3-point range. The honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by vote of league media members has made 10 of his last 20 3-point attempts over the past eight games. He has a 5.7 assist-to-turnover ratio with 51 assists and just nine turnovers in 25 games this season. He has committed just five turnovers since Dec. 22.
Why Grand Canyon can cover
The Antelopes, who joined Division 1 in 2013-2014, look to snap the WAC’s 12-game tournament losing streak dating back to 2007, when Nevada posted the conference’s last win. Grand Canyon is led by senior center Asbjorn Midtgaard, who leads all of Division 1 with a 71.4 field goal percentage. He is averaging 14 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He has scored in double figures 19 times and posted 11 double-doubles, including a 16-point, 16-rebound effort at Seattle on Feb. 27.
Also powering the Grand Canyon offense is senior center Alessandro Lever, who is averaging 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He is hitting on 51.1 percent of his field goals, including 39.2 percent of his 3-point attempts. He has reached double figures in 17 games, including one double-double, a 19-point, 10-rebound effort against California Baptist. His top scoring performance was 24 points at Seattle on Feb. 26.
How to make Grand Canyon vs. Iowa picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 149 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Iowa vs. Grand Canyon? And which side of the spread hits 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.