The No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (21-8) and the No. 15 seed Grand Canyon Antelopes (17-6) will meet on Saturday at 6:25 PM ET in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa is a favorite in the contest, which airs on TBS. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this 2-15 matchup in the West Region bracket.
The betting insights in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of March 15, 2021, 4:10 PM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Betting Odds
Iowa Betting Information
- The Hawkeyes have played to a 14-12 record against the spread this season.
- The Hawkeyes have a winning record against the spread when favored by 15 points or more, going 3-1 this season.
- In 50% of its games this season (13/26), Iowa and its opponents have outscored the set over/under.
- The Hawkeyes fell 82-71 to Illinois in their last contest on Saturday. Luka Garza put up a team-high 21 points in the loss. They failed to cover the spread as 3-point underdogs, and the teams combined to go under the 154 point total.
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
ALSO READ: Iowa vs. Grand Canyon Picks, Predictions
Iowa Players to Watch
| Name | GP | PTS | REB | ASST | STL | BLK | 3PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Garza | 29 | 23.7 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| Joe Wieskamp | 29 | 14.7 | 6.6 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.4 |
| Jordan Bohannon | 29 | 10.9 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| CJ Fredrick | 25 | 7.8 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Jack Nunge | 22 | 7.1 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
Grand Canyon Betting Information
- With a 13-5-1 record ATS this season, the Antelopes have topped expectations.
- When playing as at least a 15-point underdog, the Antelopes frequently meet expectations with a 1-0 record against the spread.
- 14 of Grand Canyon’s 19 games (73.7%) this season have not covered the over/under.
- Their last time out, the Antelopes saw Jovan Blacksher Jr. rack up a team-high 19 points to lead them to a 74-56 win over New Mexico State on Saturday. They covered the spread as 2-point underdogs, and the teams scored 130 total points to top the 126-point over/under.
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Grand Canyon Players to Watch
| Name | GP | PTS | REB | ASST | STL | BLK | 3PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asbjorn Midtgaard | 23 | 14.0 | 9.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| Alessandro Lever | 23 | 13.3 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Jovan Blacksher Jr. | 23 | 11.9 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Mikey Dixon | 21 | 8.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Oscar Frayer | 23 | 6.5 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
Total Facts
- Iowa and its opponents have hit the over on Saturday’s 145 total in 22 out of 29 games (75.9%) this season.
- In Grand Canyon’s games this season, the competing teams combined for a higher point total than Saturday’s matchup point total in seven out of 23 matchups (30.4%).
- The Hawkeyes average 83.8 points per game against the Antelopes’ 75.6, amounting to 14.4 points over the contest’s point total of 145.
- These two teams give up a combined 133 points per game, 12 points less than this contest’s over/under.
- On average, the Hawkeyes have seen a 155.7 over/under in their games this season, 10.7 more points than the over/under in this contest.
- The over/under for this matchup is 8.3 points more than the average over/under in Antelopes games this season (136.7 points).
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