The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday at the Crisler Center in the Big Ten opener for both sides. Michigan is 7-1 overall and 4-0 at home, while Iowa is 6-2 overall and 1-0 on the road. Both teams are 5-3 against the spread this season. Michigan is 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games against Iowa at home. However, Iowa has covered in seven of their last 10 games overall against Michigan. The Wolverines are favored by seven points in the latest Michigan vs. Iowa odds, while the over-under is set at 144. Before entering any Iowa vs. Michigan picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, it has simulated Michigan vs. Iowa 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Michigan lost its first game of the season on Tuesday against No. 1 Louisville in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Guard Zavier Simpson had a rough night: he picked up four fouls and turned the ball over four times en route to a 4-for-11 shooting performance where he scored nine points.
The senior guard had been a catalyst for Michigan this season, averaging 11.9 points, 8.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. Louisville was able to run Michigan off the 3-point line, allowing them to shoot just 3-for-19 from deep. However, outside shooting has generally been a strength for the Wolverines, as they rank 21st in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (39.7) this season.
Meanwhile, Iowa got a big win on Tuesday as 4.5-point underdogs against Syracuse on the road. The Hawkeyes won 68-54 by limiting the Orange to just 36.5 percent shooting from the floor. Iowa forward Luka Garza was one of the most active players for the team as he had 23 points along with nine rebounds.
The junior center is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and his ability to stretch the floor (50 percent 3-point shooting) at 6-foot-11 pulls interior players to the perimeter to create spacing for Fran McCaffery's offense. If Garza can pull Michigan center Jon Teske (2.3 blocks per game) away from the rim on Friday it should help Iowa guards attack the rim.
So who wins Iowa vs. Michigan? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
