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Ranked teams meet as No. 14 Rutgers hosts No. 10 Iowa

Sports

December 31st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(A-P) Two ranked teams battle Saturday, when No. 10 Iowa visits No. 14 Rutgers in a Big Ten showdown. Iowa has two wins and one loss against ranked opponents this season, while Rutgers has won one of its two games against ranked teams.

Iowa’s Luka Garza, Joe Wieskamp and Jordan Bohannon have combined to account for 55 percent of the team’s scoring this season, including 57 percent of all Hawkeyes points over the last five games. Garza has connected on 48.6 percent of the 37 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 5 for 16 over the last three games. He’s also converted 72.4 percent of his foul shots this season.

Rutgers has won its last six home games, scoring an average of 83.8 points while giving up 71.2.

The Hawkeyes have recently converted buckets via assists more often than the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers has an assist on 36 of 81 field goals (44.4 percent) across its past three matchups while Iowa has assists on 55 of 81 field goals (67.9 percent) during its past three games.

The Iowa offense has recorded a turnover on only 12.7 percent of its possessions, which is the fourth-best rate in the nation. The Rutgers defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 17.3 percent of all possessions (ranked 283rd among Division I teams).