Who’s Playing
New Orleans Privateers @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Current Records: New Orleans 2-6, Iowa 7-3
How To Watch
What to Know
The Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the New Orleans Privateers in a holiday battle at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 85.5 points per game this season.
New Orleans is facing Iowa at the wrong time: Iowa suffered their first home loss of the season on Thursday and they’re likely out for redemption. They took an 89-80 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cyclones. The Hawkeyes got off to an early lead (up 13 with 4:23 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren’t able to maintain that momentum.
The losing side was boosted by Owen Freeman, who went 5 for 8 en route to 16 points plus five rebounds and three blocks. He had some trouble finding his footing against Michigan on Saturday, so this was a step in the right direction. Drew Thelwell was another key player, earning ten points plus six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, New Orleans suffered their closest defeat since February 3rd on Saturday. They fell just short of Nicholls by a score of 73-70. The Privateers have struggled against the Colonels recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Iowa’s loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-3. As for New Orleans, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Iowa just can’t miss this season, having made 48.6% of their field goals per game. It’s a different story for New Orleans, though, as they’ve only made 39.5% of their field goals this season. Given Iowa’s sizable advantage in that area, New Orleans will need to find a way to close that gap.
