New Hampshire Wildcats vs Iowa Hawkeyes NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/30/24

Looking to win big? The Wildcats and Hawkeyes face off at 7:00 ET on BTN. The Hawkeyes are hosting the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA. The over/under for this non-conference contest is set at 158.5 points, with Iowa being favored by -33.5 over New Hampshire.

NEW HAMPSHIRE WILDCATS VS IOWA HAWKEYES BETTING PICK

The Pick: New Hampshire Wildcats +33.5

This game will be played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 7:00 ET on Monday, December 30th.

WHY BET THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WILDCATS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-71 in favor of the Hawkeyes.
• Even though we have Iowa winning straight-up, we like New Hampshire at +33.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 158.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 146 points.

Can New Hampshire Grab a Win on the Road?

New Hampshire’s season continued its rough start with a 90-83 loss to Stonehill on Sunday, dropping them to 0-12. Despite being +8.5 point underdogs, the Wildcats kept it closer than expected.

New Hampshire trailed 38-37 at halftime and allowed 52 points in the 2nd half while scoring 46. The game’s total points of 173 exceeded the over/under line of 135.5.

New Hampshire put up 83 points in their latest game, shooting 49.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 57.9%. They connected on 47.6% of their three-point attempts, hitting 10 of 21 from deep, while going 18 of 36 inside the arc.

Louie Semona led the way with 22 points and 6 rebounds, shooting 75% from the field. Sami Pissis added 20 points, and Chas Stinson contributed 16 points and 5 assists. Giancarlo Bastianoni grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with 14 points.

New Hampshire’s defense struggled, giving up 90 points on 52% shooting. They allowed 61% on two-pointers, with the opponent hitting 24 of 39 attempts.

From beyond the arc, the opponent shot 36%, making 8 of 22 threes. New Hampshire also sent them to the line 22 times, where they converted 18 free throws (81%).

Can Iowa Pull Off a Home Win?

Iowa improved to 9-3 on the season with a 95-88 win over Utah on Saturday. The Hawkeyes, who were -1.5 favorites, covered the spread in the victory. The game’s total points of 183 went over the pre-game O/U line of 163.5.

After trailing 40-36 at halftime, Iowa turned things around in the second half, scoring 59 points while allowing 48.

Iowa’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 95 points on 53.1% shooting from the field. They connected on 45% of their three-point attempts, going 9-for-20 from deep, and shot 75% from the free-throw line, hitting 18 of 24 attempts.

Lawson Lovering was a force inside, shooting 78.6% from the field and finishing with 25 points. Mason Madsen and Payton Sandfort each added 24 points, with Madsen hitting 6 threes at a 54.5% clip.

Even with Iowa’s defensive struggles, they still managed to put up 88 points in their last game. The Hawkeyes shot 53% from the field, connecting on 34 of their 64 attempts. Inside the arc, they were 25/44, good for 56% shooting.

From three-point range, Iowa hit 9 of their 20 shots, shooting 45%. They also went to the free-throw line 24 times, making 18 of those for 75%. On the offensive glass, they gave up 8 rebounds.