Gophers hoops looking for first win in Iowa City in nearly 10 years

The Gophers head to Iowa City as 9.5-point underdogs against the rival Hawkeyes on Tuesday night and head coach Ben Johnson is looking for his first win against Iowa. Meanwhile, Minnesota is looking for its first win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since 2015.

#Gophers men's basketball opens as (+9.5) point underdogs for tomorrow night's game against Iowa on the road.

Minnesota has not won in Iowa City since Feb. 12, 2015. The Hawkeyes are 12-6 this season, coming off back-to-back losses on their LA road trip. https://t.co/kGHYhxrMJd pic.twitter.com/NMG2kqrzFH
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) January 20, 2025

Since becoming Gophers head coach before the 2021-22 season, Johnson has faced Iowa five times. Minnesota is 0-5 in those games, losing by an average of 9.6 points. The Gophers haven't beaten Iowa since a Christmas Day overtime victory at the Barn in 2020 in Richard Pitino's final season as Minnesota head coach.

Minnesota still leads the all-time series 102-96, but since Fran McCaffery was hired in 2010, the Hawkeyes are 15-7 against the Gophers. The rivalry isn't as heated as it is on the gridiron, largely because Iowa has gotten the better of the Gophers over the last 15 years.

The Gophers head into Tuesday night's matchup with some real momentum after knocking off No. 20 Michigan last week for Johnson's first win over a ranked opponent. Iowa is ranked No. 37 in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, so it will be another Quad 1 opportunity for Minnesota.

The Hawkeyes are led by last year's co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman, who is averaging 16.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. They also have a talented trio of wings — Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix and Drew Thelwell — who are all averaging more than 10 points per game.

Like most McCaffery-led teams, Iowa is an offensive juggernaut. They're ranked 15th in offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com and their 88.4 points per game ranks third-best in the entire country. It will be a clash of styles against a Minnesota team that ranks near the bottom of the country in adjusted tempo.

Prediction

At 12-6, Iowa has had an up-and-down season, but their only home loss has come against No. 3 Iowa State. Coming off back-to-back losses on the road against USC and UCLA, Minnesota is catching them at a good time, but they still will need a near-perfect performance to pick up a win on the road.

The Gophers have shown they can compete with some of the Big Ten's top teams, and I think this game will be closer than what the experts believe, but the Hawkeyes offense will hit a few more shots and pull away in the end.

Score: Iowa 88 Minnesota 81