A trip to the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament title game is on the line as the No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes and the No. 3 seed UConn Huskies battle in the 2024 Final Four on Friday. The Huskies are accustomed to getting to the big game and winning it all. UConn has won the national title 11 times in school history. Meanwhile, Iowa is eyeing its first-ever national championship as Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer among Division I men and women, aims to put an exclamation mark on her historic collegiate career.
Tipoff from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Ohio is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Hawkeyes are 3-point favorites in the latest UConn vs. Iowa odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 162. Before making any Iowa vs. UConn picks or Final Four 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). Anybody following has seen huge results.
Now, he has set his sights on Iowa vs. Connecticut and made his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Connecticut vs. Iowa:
- UConn vs. Iowa spread: Hawkeyes -3
- UConn vs. Iowa over/under: 162 points
- UConn vs. Iowa money line: Hawkeyes -155, Huskies +130
- IOWA: The Hawkeyes shoot 37.8% from 3-point range
- CONN: The Huskies average 19.7 assists per game
- UConn vs. Iowa picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why UConn can cover
Senior forward Aaliyah Edwards is an outstanding presence in the frontcourt for the Huskies. Edwards is very efficient around the rim and has the strength to overpower others in the paint. The Ontario native logs 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 59% from the field. In her last contest, Edwards finished with 24 points and six boards while shooting 7-of-13 from the field.
Freshman guard Ashlynn Shade has been a dependable shooter from the perimeter while playing pesky defense consistently. Shade moves well without the ball and excels as a catch-and-shoot threat. She averages 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, while knocking down 36% of her shots from 3-point range. In the second-round win over Syracuse, Shade finished with 19 points and four rebounds. See which team to pick here.
Why Iowa can cover
Clark is the driving force for this team but there are other quality playmakers on the floor. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke gives the Hawkeyes an instinctive player around the rim as both a rebounder and scorer. She averages 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and shoots 62% from the field. In Iowa’s Sweet 16 win over Colorado, Stuelke had 11 points and 10 boards.
Senior guard Kate Martin impacts the game in a variety of different ways for the Hawkeyes. Martin is relentless on the defensive end but can score from different areas on the court. The Illinois native logs 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. In her last outing, she dropped her tourney-high of 21 points, six rebounds and two steals. See which team to pick here.
How to make UConn vs. Iowa picks
Wetzel has analyzed this matchup and he is leaning Under on the point total, while discovering a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is at SportsLine.
Who wins Iowa vs. UConn, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread hits, all from the expert who’s up 371 units since the start of the 2021-22 season, and find out.
