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Stephen DeAngelo
For Tuesday’s freebie, we’ll head to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and take the generous points with Iowa at Syracuse.
The Hawkeyes (5-2) are coming off Saturday’s closer-than-it-appears 83-73 loss to San Diego State in a preseason tournament in Vegas. Iowa actually had a nine-point lead at the break, but its defense wilted down the stretch against a very, very good San Diego State squad that was actually favored by 3½ points. Iowa’s only other defeat was to DePaul back on Nov. 11.
You know what SDSU and DePaul have in common? They’re both 8-0. You know who’s not anywhere close to 8-0? Syracuse. The Orange are just 4-3, and as you might expect from an early-season Jim Boeheim-coached squad, the four wins were compiled against garbage competition (Colgate, Seattle, Cornell, Bucknell, all of whom got their doors blown off at the Carrier Dome). The three losses? They were against quality opponents (Virginia, Oklahoma State and Penn State), each of whom blitzed Syracuse by double digits: Virginia went to the Carrier Dome and spanked the ‘Cuse 48-34 in the season-opener for both teams, then last week in a preseason tournament in Brooklyn, Oklahoma State (86-72) and Penn State (85-64) thrashed the Orange.
Not only did Virginia, Oklahoma State and Penn State win easily, but they shot a combined 43.3% from the field (74-for-171) while holding Syracuse to a measly 30.3% (50-for-165). Now here comes Iowa, which has scored at least 72 points in every game (including more than 80 four times) and is shooting 45% from the floor, while holding four of seven opponents under 70 points. That includes a 72-61 win over Texas Tech (which played in last year’s national title game) as a seven-point underdog last week in Vegas.
Wrong team is favored here, folks. Grab the points with the Hawkeyes and watch them win this thing outright.
3* IOWA
For Tuesday’s freebie, we’ll head to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and take the generous points with Iowa at Syracuse.
The Hawkeyes (5-2) are coming off Saturday’s closer-than-it-appears 83-73 loss to San Diego State in a preseason tournament in Vegas. Iowa actually had a nine-point lead at the break, but its defense wilted down the stretch against a very, very good San Diego State squad that was actually favored by 3½ points. Iowa’s only other defeat was to DePaul back on Nov. 11.
You know what SDSU and DePaul have in common? They’re both 8-0. You know who’s not anywhere close to 8-0? Syracuse. The Orange are just 4-3, and as you might expect from an early-season Jim Boeheim-coached squad, the four wins were compiled against garbage competition (Colgate, Seattle, Cornell, Bucknell, all of whom got their doors blown off at the Carrier Dome). The three losses? They were against quality opponents (Virginia, Oklahoma State and Penn State), each of whom blitzed Syracuse by double digits: Virginia went to the Carrier Dome and spanked the ‘Cuse 48-34 in the season-opener for both teams, then last week in a preseason tournament in Brooklyn, Oklahoma State (86-72) and Penn State (85-64) thrashed the Orange.
Not only did Virginia, Oklahoma State and Penn State win easily, but they shot a combined 43.3% from the field (74-for-171) while holding Syracuse to a measly 30.3% (50-for-165). Now here comes Iowa, which has scored at least 72 points in every game (including more than 80 four times) and is shooting 45% from the floor, while holding four of seven opponents under 70 points. That includes a 72-61 win over Texas Tech (which played in last year’s national title game) as a seven-point underdog last week in Vegas.
Wrong team is favored here, folks. Grab the points with the Hawkeyes and watch them win this thing outright.
3* IOWA
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