The No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (29-4) will try to begin another deep Women's NCAA Tournament run when they face the No. 16 seed Holy Cross Crusaders (21-12) in the first round on Saturday afternoon. Iowa fell to LSU in the national championship last season after star Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes on a magical run. They will start their 2024 journey as heavy favorites against Holy Cross, which advanced to the first round with a win over fellow 16-seed UT Martin in the First Four on Thursday. The Crusaders are on a five-game winning streak, beating Boston University in the Patriot League Tournament title game on Sunday.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the Albany 2 Region. The Hawkeyes are 38.5-point favorites in the latest Iowa vs. Holy Cross odds, while the over/under is 157.5. Before you lock in any Holy Cross vs. Iowa picks or predictions, you have to see what women's basketball expert Calvin Wetzel has to say.
Wetzel, HerHoopStats.com lead betting writer, incorporates his mathematical background and strong knowledge of women's hoops to turn the site's prediction model into picks. Now Wetzel has turned his attention to women's college basketball after teaming up with Aaron Barzilai, a Ph.D. from Stanford. Since the start of the 2021-22 women's college basketball campaign, he is 1384-988 (+371.33 units).
Now, he has set his sights on Iowa vs. Holy Cross and made his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Holy Cross vs. Iowa:
- Iowa vs. Holy Cross spread: Hawkeyes -38.5
- Iowa vs. Holy Cross over/under: 157.5 points
- IOWA: Caitlin Clark leads the nation in scoring (31.9 points per game)
- HC: The Crusaders are 7-2 in their last nine games
- Iowa vs. Holy Cross: See picks at SportsLine
Why Iowa can cover
Holy Cross won the Patriot League regular-season title and also took home the conference tournament title before beating UT Martin on Thursday. However, its offensive performance in that First Four matchup was an outlier, as the Crusaders rank No. 244 nationally in 2-point percentage and No. 89 in 3-point percentage. Their strength offensively is not turning the ball over, but that is not going to be enough to keep pace with Iowa on Saturday.
The Hawkeyes have a height advantage in the paint to go along with their talented guards, led by Clark. They have won six straight games coming into this matchup, and they will be motivated to turn this game into a blowout so they can rest their starters down the stretch. Holy Cross did not face a ranked opponent this season, so it is not prepared for this type of game. See which team to pick here.
Why Holy Cross can cover
Holy Cross punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 61-55 win over Boston University in the Patriot League Tournament title game last Sunday, and the Crusaders advanced to the first round with a dominant performance in the First Four on Thursday. They took a nine-point lead over UT Martin at the end of the first quarter and were leading by 21 points at halftime. Their lead only expanded in the second half, resulting in a 72-45 final.
Senior guard Cara McCormack scored a career-high 23 points, knocking down seven 3-pointers on 10 attempts. The Crusaders drilled a season-high 12 3-pointers, and some hot shooting on Saturday can keep this game closer than Iowa prefers. It could also take the Hawkeyes some time to shake off the rust after not playing a game in almost two weeks. See which team to pick here.
How to make Iowa vs. Holy Cross picks
Wetzel has analyzed this matchup, leaning Over on the point total while discovering a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He has also released a special Caitlin Clark prop bet. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Holy Cross vs. Iowa, and which Caitlin Clark prop bet is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Iowa vs. Holy Cross spread hits, all from the expert who's up 371 units since the start of the 2021-22 season, and find out.
