Maryland Terrapins vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 12/06/25

The Maryland Terrapins will travel to Iowa City on Saturday for a Big Ten Conference game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa is 0-1 in conference play following its blowout loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night, but I expect a bounce-back performance on its home floor against a less talented Maryland team. The Terrapins will open conference play on Saturday and are projected to start 0-1 as +13.5 underdogs. This is a big number, but I see Iowa covering the spread.

Iowa did not look good in its Big Ten opener, but I expect a much better performance in game 2. Maryland has not looked good against stuff competition this season and I do not see the Terps finding their way against a very well-coached and disciplined Iowa team. Maryland lost to Georgetown by 10, Gonzaga by 39 and Alabama by 33. The Terrapins’ defense has looked vulnerable in numerous games this year, as they gave up over 100 points to Gonzaga and Alabama. According to KenPom, Maryland’s defense is ranked #247 in effective field-goal percentage, #279 in 2-point percentage and #187 in 3-point percentage. On Bart Torvik, their defense is ranked #235 in adjusted defensive efficiency against top 100 opponents. I do not see them being able to stop this Iowa offense.

Iowa’s offense struggled against Michigan State but has been efficient in other games this year. The Hawkeyes play at a very slow pace but are led by one of the best guards in the country, Bennett Stirtz.  Their offense is ranked #17 in effective field-goal percentage and #16 in 2-point percentage. Their offense should have success in this one and they should be able to win the turnover battle, as their defense is one of the best in the country in turning opposing teams over and Maryland has issues taking care of the ball. I’m backing Iowa to cover.

Maryland vs Iowa prediction: Iowa -13.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -14.

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