Wisconsin vs Iowa Odds, Pick: Road Team to Come Through?

Big Ten play rolls on, as the Wisconsin Badgers head to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday. Both teams have been inconsistent of late and will look to get back on track with a much-needed victory here.

Wisconsin looked the part of a contender at the national level as little as two weeks ago, but since then, the Badgers have lost four of their last five games, including all three of their true road games to Nebraska, Michigan and Rutgers.

Wisconsin did bounce back nicely earlier this week with a win over Ohio State at the Kohl Center, which ultimately proved to be the last straw for Chris Holtmann's tenure with the Buckeyes. Wisconsin still has a chance to make a run in March, but its ceiling may not be as high as previously believed.

On the other side, Iowa is just trying to stay afloat. The Hawkeyes now hold a 14-11 record overall and have not won back-to-back games in Big Ten play in over a month. They've been alternating wins and losses since the end of January and are coming off a 12-point loss at Maryland on Wednesday night.

You never know what teams will do on the road in the Big Ten, but if the Badgers want to remain in the conversation for a Big Ten Tournament bye, they must find a way to win here.

For much of this season, Wisconsin played like a top-10 team in the country. That was evidenced by a sweep of Michigan State and an 11-point win over Marquette back in early December.

The turnaround from last year's NIT team was largely led by the addition of AJ Storr. Storr is one of the most dynamic wing scorers in the country, and he can pop off for 20-plus points on any given night.

However, Storr's efficiency has taken a huge dip from the 3-point range lately. He's shooting just 1-of-14 from beyond the arc over his last four games.

Wisconsin is a balanced squad, ranking 19th in offensive efficiency and 32nd on defense. The Badgers' big defensive vulnerability is guarding the 3-point line, as opposing offenses are shooting 37% from deep against them on the season.

In the first matchup in this series, Iowa shot 41% from 3 before Wisconsin ultimately emerged victorious.

Iowa has many of the typical elements college basketball fans have come to expect from a Fran McCaffery program: great offense, nonexistent defense and plenty of angry tirades at the officials.

Importantly, this year's Hawkeye team shoots the 3 worse than usual, making just 33% of their shots from outside.

Iowa ranks 14th in the country offensively and play with the 18th-fastest tempo in the sport. It will run and gun for 40 minutes, and that can be hard for plodding teams to keep up with, especially in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes have gone 10-3 at home this season, but a few of the losses have come to some of the weaker teams in the league. They lost in their own gym to Michigan and Maryland.

Iowa's NCAA Tournament hopes are all but dashed at this point, but a win here would keep the lights on — barely.

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It's never comfortable picking a road team in Big Ten play, but Storr is due for some positive shooting regression, and the Iowa defense may be the remedy he needs to get right.

Iowa made shots above its normal rate in the first matchup between these teams and still lost by double digits.

Take the Badgers to cover.

Pick: Wisconsin -1.5