Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northwestern Prediction & Picks - NCAA Men

Prediction published on 2/28/25, 10:42 AM  by Travis Pulver | Modified on 2/28/25 at 10:44 AM in NCAA Men Picks

The Iowa Hawkeyes (15-13, 6-11) will try to get back on the right side of the scoreboard tonight when they take on the Northwestern Wildcats at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL. Tipoff for this Big Ten contest is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET; fans can find coverage of the game via FS1.

Iowa got off to a solid start this season, improving to 7-1 when they defeated Northwestern at home on Dec. 3, 80-79. Their downfall began a little over a month later. Starting with a loss to USC on Jan. 14, the Hawkeyes lost nine of their next 12, including an 81-61 defeat vs. Illinois their last time out (Feb. 25). As for Northwestern, the Wildcats have had issues in conference play as well. They began 2025 at 10-3 following an 85-60 victory over Northeastern on Dec. 29. But since then, they’ve gone 5-10. However, they’ll take a two-game winning streak into tonight’s game, having beaten Ohio State 70-49 last Thursday and Minnesota 75-63 on Tuesday.

In that Dec. 3 game, Iowa pulled ahead with a buzzer-beater from three-point range to make the final score 80-79. The Hawkeyes had led 45-34 at the break, but Northwestern roared back in the second half to make a game of it (outscoring Iowa 45-35).