The First Round of the 2021 March Madness is expected to be wild. While the Iowa vs. Grand Canyon clash in the first round looks to be a huge mismatch on paper, it still has the potential to surprise. NitroBetting news takes a look at this game and checks out the latest College Basketball odds, both teams’ key players, betting trends, and provides expert betting predictions.

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Grand Canyon vs. Iowa Game Information

Lopes. Hawkeyes. Saturday. You ready? ? #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/OLtdoZnm15

— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) March 15, 2021

• When: Saturday, March 20, 2021, 6:25 PM ET
• Where: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
• TV: TBS
• Radio: CBS Sports Radio
• Live Stream: March Madness Live
• March Madness Betting Odds: Iowa -1667 / -14.5 (-112) / Under 145.5 (-108)

READ MORE: Virginia Tech vs. Florida 2021 March Madness Odds and Preview — First Round

Why Bet on the Grand Canyon Antelops?

Grand Canyon is coming off a strong win against New Mexico State, 76-54, to win the Western Conference tournament title game. This marks their first appearance in the National Tournament following their arrival in Division I basketball a little over eight years ago. Grand Canyon capped off its regular season campaign with a 17-6 record, claiming the top spot in the WAC.

Behind Grand Canyon’s success is a 37.7 field goal percentage defense. As they say, defense wins games, and the Antelopes will try to prove that coming into the tournament.

Two key players to watch are sophomore players Asbjorn Midtgaard and Jovan Blackshear Jr. Midtgaard contributes 14.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while Blackshear Jr. averages 11.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game

Why Bet on the Iowa Hawkeyes?

Iowa is known for its relentless offense. The Hawkeyes are second in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, as they are scoring 124.2 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom. Iowa’s defense isn’t as exceptional as its ability to put up points in a hurry, but Grand Canyon is unlikely to be the team that exposes the Hawkeyes on that end of the floor.

Leading the offense of the Hawkeyes is Luka Garza, who is also one of the top players to watch in the tournament, averaging an impressive 24.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

While their offensive abilities can be inspiring to watch, it does not win basketball games at all times. It makes the lack of defense more obvious and easy to pierce. Nevertheless, we see that the team slowly improves on that end of the court, which can prove useful in this upcoming matchup.

Grand Canyon vs. Iowa Betting Trends

• Iowa is 4-1 in its last 5 games.
• Iowa is 5-5 against the spread in its last 10 games.
• The total has gone under in 8 of Iowa’s last 10 games.
• Grand Canyon is currently on a 3-game winning streak.
• Grand Canyon is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games.
• The total has gone under in 7 of Grand Canyon’s last 10 games.

Grand Canyon vs. Iowa Expert Betting Prediction

This showdown is an interesting contest for both teams. The Hawkeyes are dangerous from range, but Grand Canyon can counter this with its size upfront, which can give Luka Garza and Iowa’s sharpshooters a hard time. Iowa is a surefire threat if Grand Canyon does not close down the perimeter. If they do so, a surprise win might happen.

However, Grand Canyon fails to match Iowa’s offense, they will have a hard time securing the win or even cover the spread at the very least.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.