It’s not every day the Iowa Hawkeyes play a top-5 team on the road. It’s never that both the men and women’s teams do it on the same day. And of course, as fate would have it, when that day finally arrives the TV executives at FOX and Disney have opted to schedule the two events RIGHT ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
But fear not, Hawkeye fans, this is what split screens, picture in picture and second TVs were invented for.
Ladies First
The Iowa Hawkeye women (19-4, 11-1) are set to kick things off tonight with a 5:30pm tip on the Big Ten Network. This is the first of two crucial matchups as Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano and the rest of the Hawkeyes look to lock down a regular season Big Ten Championship and climb their way onto the one line in March’s NCAA Tournament.
#5 Iowa is set to square of with #2 Indiana in the game of the year in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers currently sit atop the conference, clinging to a half game lead over the Hawkeyes. Thus, a win tonight by Iowa would give them sole possession of first place in the conference standings and likely propel them onto that coveted one line in the next iteration of bracketology.
Our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook have the Hoosiers favored by 5 in a game they expect to be high scoring. The over/under is set at 156.5, which may be a bit on the low end. Iowa comes into the contest averaging 88 points a game and giving up 70 - numbers that would put them on the over in an average game. But IU is not average. The #2 ranked team in the land enters the night averaging nearly 82 points per game themselves. While they only give up 60 points per contest on the season, it’s safe to assume this one will have some action.
Indiana comes into the matchup with just a lone loss on the season. That came way back on December 29th at Michigan State. The Hoosiers are unbeaten at home with three wins over teams ranked in the top-10 nationally at the time of their meetings (#6 UNC, #9 Maryland and #2 Ohio State). For their part, the Hawkeyes have already knocked off a pair of top-10 teams this season and has two wins against top-15 teams on the road, including a win at #2 Ohio State - the highest ranked win in program history.
Here are the details on tonight’s showdown in Bloomington. The Hoosiers will travel to Iowa City for the rematch in the season finale February 26th. That game has already been sold out.
How to Watch
Date: Thursday, February 9th
Time: 5:31p CT
Opponent: Indiana Hoosiers (22-1, 11-1)
Location: Assembly Hall - Bloomington, IN
Gambling (by DraftKings): Indiana -5 | Indiana -200 | O/U 156.5
TV: BTN (Jeff Levering & Jess Settles)
Radio: Hawkeye Sports Network
Streaming: Fox Sports Live
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
The Men Overlap
Just as you get settled in to the women’s action on BTN, it’s time to tune in for the men over on ESPN2. The Hawkeyes are riding a three game winning streak into their first road matchup with a ranked opponent. Iowa has won seven of their last nine games dating back to January 5th, but lost their only matchup against a ranked opponent away from Carver this season when they fell 74-62 to #15 Duke in Madison Square Garden back on December 6th.
The Boilermakers come into the night looking to right the ship. Despite their #1 ranking nationally and nine wins in their last ten contests, Purdue is fresh off a road loss at Assembly Hall to in-state rival Indiana on Saturday. The Boilers, who sit atop the Big Ten standings with a comfortable three game lead, will look to defend their position atop the national rankings and win the only matchup between the two teams this season.
The folks at DraftKings Sportsbook are pretty optimistic in Purdue’s chances. They have the Boilers as 8-point home favorites. That’s to be expected for a team that has just one home loss this season, a 65-64 loss to Rutgers back on January 2nd. More interesting may be the over/under, which DK has set at 149. Iowa enters the night averaging 81.5 points per game while giving up 73.5. Purdue can also put the biscuit in the basket, averaging 74 points per contest while giving up just over 61 points per game on the season.
All that to say, the over should be in play unless that Boiler defense really shuts the Hawkeyes down. When these two teams faced off in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game a season ago, it was the Iowa defense which gave Purdue fits, holding the Boilers to just 66 points en route to a 75-66 victory in Indianapolis. Here’s hoping the Hawkeyes packed a bit of that magic tonight.
Here’s a look at the details on the men’s game for this evening.
How to Watch
Date: Thursday, February 9th
Time: 6:01p CT
Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers (22-2, 11-2);
Location: Mackey Arena - West Lafeyette, IN
Gambling (by DraftKings): Purdue -8 | Purdue -360 | O/U 149
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Hawkeye Sports Network
Streaming: Watch ESPN
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
The usual rules apply, despite the unusual circumstances tonight. Play nice in the comments.