Iowa vs. Virginia Prediction and Odds: Can Hawkeyes Prove They are Elite on Road?

The Iowa Hawkeyes hit the road to face the Virginia Cavaliers in the first edition of the 2021 Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Iowa has blitzed its competition to date, winning six in a row to start the year by an average margin of 31.6 points per game. Meanwhile, Virginia has played a tough schedule so far, losing to Houston and upstart Navy, but beating Providence with ease on a neutral court.

How should we handicap this first true test for Iowa? Can Virginia dictate the pace? All that and more below, but first let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook.

Iowa vs. Virginia Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• Iowa: -1 (-110)
• Virginia: +1 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Iowa: -125
• Virginia: +105

Total:

• 131.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Iowa vs. Virginia Pick and Prediction

Like I mentioned above, Iowa looks elite by all accounts, but who have the Hawkeyes played? The toughest opponent they have seen to date by KenPom standards is No. 204 Longwood on opening night. The team has rebuilt around the twin brothers Keegan and Kris Murray as well as sharp shooters Payton Sandfort and Jordan Bohannon, but how will they fare in their first true road test?

The team is paying at the 25th fasted pace in the country, per KenPom, but will be facing the polar opposite against Tony Bennett's Virginia team, who is playing at the 358th fastest tempo. The Cavaliers are an elite defensive team, cutting off inside shots, which may play into Iowa's hands, as the Hawkeyes love to hoist from deep.

UVA is still figuring out an offensive identity, as the Cavaliers are hyper reliant on getting to the free throw line and are posting an effective field goal percentage outside the top 200 nationally, but Iowa has ranked inside the top 50 in opponent free throw rate over the last three seasons.

While this spot screams to take Virginia against an unproven Iowa team, I'm going to see if I can get this spread at +2. If not, I'm likely going to pass considering I'm concerned about the Cavs ability to keep up with the Hawkeyes offense, who can get enough 3-point shots to get out of a range that the home team can score at.

LEAN: Virginia +1