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11/11 Big Ten Preview: Iowa Battles DePaul

The only game of the night

NCAA Basketball: SIU - Edwardsville at Iowa Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Before I say anything, I just want to note how much I love the unis that the Hawkeyes debuted this year which are shown in the picture above. From a pure fashion perspective, Friday night was the best Iowa has looked in years. For the past few years, Nebraska has had the best duds in the league, but they may have to give up that crown.

And now, onto the preview!

Game of the Night:

-DePaul Blue Demons at Iowa Hawkeyes

  • Time/TV: 8:00 PM EST, FS1
  • KenPom Spread: Iowa -8

Both these schools have feasted on cupcakes thus far in this young season, and it will be the first real test for either team. DePaul has been the Rutgers of the Big East since Rutgers left the Big East, but KenPom actually expects the Blue Demons to be a top 100 team this season, which would be their best showing since 2007.

Iowa is still easing Jordan Bohannon back into things—he played 19 minutes off the bench against SIU-Edwardsville, and it’s possible he would have played more if that game had been close. This will be the first time the Hawkeyes play on a national broadcast, so if you’re curious about the status of the man whose health will likely determine the course of the Hawkeyes’ season, be sure to tune in.

As for DePaul, there’s not much that we can tell from three blowout wins against wildly inferior opponents. Their three most important players are all juniors: point guard Charlie Moore and frontcourt tandem of Jaylen Butz and Paul Reed. Moore is a shoot-first point guard, and for the season thus far he’s making an unsustainable 67% of his threes. Moore/Bohannon will definitely be the key matchup of the night.

  • Pick against the spread: DePaul