Who’s Playing
Iowa Hawkeyes @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
Current Records: Iowa 10-6, Minnesota 12-4
How To Watch
What to Know
Iowa has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers will face off in a Big Ten battle at 6:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Williams Arena. Minnesota took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Iowa, who comes in off a win.
The oddsmakers set the bar high, but Iowa and Nebraska didn’t disappoint and broke past the 166 point over/under on Friday. The Hawkeyes took down the Cornhuskers 94-76. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 16 more assists than your opponent, as Iowa did.
Iowa’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Owen Freeman led the charge by dropping a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds. Freeman continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he’s played. Josh Dix was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Meanwhile, Minnesota unfortunately witnessed the end of their seven-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 74-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hoosiers. Minnesota has struggled against Indiana recently, as their match on Friday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their loss, Minnesota saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Pharrel Payne, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Payne set a new season high mark in blocks with five. Another player making a difference was Dawson Garcia, who scored 14 points along with nine rebounds.
The Hawkeyes pushed their record up to 10-6 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 96.5 points per game. As for the Golden Gophers, their loss dropped their record down to 12-4.
Monday’s matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Iowa just can’t miss this season, having made 47.7% of their shots per game. However, it’s not like Minnesota struggles in that department as they’ve made 48.2% of their shots per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Iowa beat Minnesota 68-56 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Will Iowa repeat their success, or does Minnesota have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Series History
Iowa has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Minnesota.
- Feb 12, 2023 – Iowa 68 vs. Minnesota 56
- Feb 06, 2022 – Iowa 71 vs. Minnesota 59
- Jan 16, 2022 – Iowa 81 vs. Minnesota 71
- Jan 10, 2021 – Iowa 86 vs. Minnesota 71
- Dec 25, 2020 – Minnesota 102 vs. Iowa 95
- Feb 16, 2020 – Iowa 58 vs. Minnesota 55
- Dec 09, 2019 – Iowa 72 vs. Minnesota 52
- Jan 27, 2019 – Minnesota 92 vs. Iowa 87
- Feb 21, 2018 – Minnesota 86 vs. Iowa 82
- Jan 30, 2018 – Iowa 94 vs. Minnesota 80
