The Iowa Hawkeyes are flying high after a hard-fought game against the Washington Huskies. Iowa was able to secure the W by a score of 85-79, due in large part to a huge 20 point second half performance by Payton Sandfort, and the bench mob coming to life. This week, the Hawkeyes men's basketball team will take the short trip to Illinois to play the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats in two important games before the beginning of March. With the Big 10 Tournament looming and the standings being tight, Iowa will need to pick up two huge road wins to bolster their tournament seeding. In my opinion, they need to win both games, but they definitely need to beat the lowly Wildcats in Evanston, because they are fighting for the 15th and final seed to make it into the Big 10 Tournament. Illinois is always a tough game for the Hawkeyes and they have won the last 2 meetings (7 of the last 8 games). After getting crushed by the Duke Blue Devils on a Feb. 22 contest at Madison Square Garden, the Illini will be hungry for a win and will look to continue their win streak vs. Iowa in a home contest.
My Prediction (Illinois):
Iowa will go into this Tuesday night contest riding high after their most recent win, and will look to reverse their fate against the Illini who have their number lately. With Iowa's inconsistency this year, especially after losing Owen Freeman for the year, and the Illini coming in pissed off after losing in horrendous fashion, I think the Hawkeyes will fall in their first matchup of the double-dip. I think Iowa's lack of size in the paint and the Illini prowess on the glass (43.3 per game, top in the Big 10, second in the NCAA) will doom the Hawkeyes and the Illini will stretch their winning streak vs. Iowa to 3 games.
Final score: Illinois 80, Iowa 73
My Prediction (Northwestern):
On Friday, Feb. 28, Iowa will wrap up its road trip with their neighbors to the East as they take on Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern is coming off a big win in Columbus as they knocked off Ohio State 70-49 in dominating fashion. They will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road in Minnesota on Tuesday night, in what will be a highly-charged game fighting for what could be the last spot in the Big 10 Tournament. The Hawkeyes beat the Wildcats earlier in the season on Dec. 3, 2024 on a Josh Dix game-winning 3. I do not think this game will be as close. At one point in the previous meeting against Northwestern, Iowa led by 17 points before a furious comeback by the Wildcats made it close with 2 minutes left in the game. I think Northwestern will be emotionally spent from their contest in Minnesota and Iowa will correct their past mistakes, with Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort going for 20+ points each in a Hawkeyes win.
Final Score: Iowa 82, Northwestern 67