Iowa vs. Murray State Prediction, Odds & Today's Preview: Women's March Madness Best Bets
The No. 6 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (22-10) open their women's NCAA Tournament run against the No. 11 seed Murray State Racers (25-7) today at noon ET (ESPN) from Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
The Hawkeyes are 10.5-point betting favorites to advance in the Spokane 4 Region of the women's March Madness bracket. However, we’re expecting the Racers to keep this game within single digits in our Iowa vs. Murray State prediction, odds, and preview as part of our women's March Madness predictions.
🏀 Iowa vs. Murray State prediction & picks today
Here are my best Iowa vs. Murray State predictions for the first round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:
✅ Against the spread pick: Murray State +10.5 (-112 via FanDuel) vs. Iowa ⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best team prop bet: Iowa Over 87.5 points (-115 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: Iowa 94, Murray State 88 (+20000 via DraftKings)
👉 Want more March Madness action? Check out the rest of our college basketball picks for both the men's and women's NCAA tournament.
🏆 Best Iowa vs. Murray State pick, player prop bet & score prediction
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✅ Murray State to cover the spread: +10.5 ⭐⭐⭐
This is a difficult matchup for the Hawkeyes. They like to outscore their opponents, and Iowa ranks 50th in the nation while averaging 74.3 points per game. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, the upset-minded Racers may be able to beat them at their own game.
The Racers are the highest-scoring team in the nation. They average 87.8 points per contest, and Murray State has scored 80-plus points in nine of its last 10 outings. The Racers tallied just 60 against the LSU Tigers and 63 against the Alabama Crimson Tide during their toughest games of the season, suffering a double-digit loss each time.
Despite those poor performances against top-tier talent, I still like the Racers here. They can keep up with the country's leading offensive squads, and the Hawkeyes were involved in some shockingly close games that should have been blowouts this season.
📊 Best odds: -112 via FanDuel ($10 to win $8.93)
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🔥 Iowa Over 87.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Racers love to play offense, but defense isn't their passion. They rank 319th in the nation in points allowed per game, giving up an average of 72.1 per contest. No offense to the Missouri Valley Conference, but if the Racers gave up that many points while playing 23 games against a conference not known for scoring, then what's going to happen when they take the court against the Hawkeyes?
The Hawkeyes have scored at least 79 points in three of their last five matchups. They have been involved in some very low-scoring affairs, like when Iowa defeated Rutgers 55-43. But I don’t see a similar outcome here. Both of these teams like to push the pace, so I don’t expect the Hawkeyes to try to slow this game down much.
DraftKings is alone among our best sportsbooks while offering this prop, and the price is -115. And while this total is significantly higher than the Hawkeyes’ season average, that just speaks to how confident oddsmakers are in this offense.
Don’t let the high number scare you. This is a lock.
📊 Best odds: -115 via DraftKings ($10 to win $8.70)
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🎯 Score prediction: Iowa 94, Murray State 88
With the total set at a whopping 165.5 points at most of our best sports betting apps, this game is all but guaranteed to be the highest-scoring contest of the first round. The Racers haven’t scored fewer than 70 points since Jan. 12. While the Hawkeyes could keep them under control, the Racers play so little defense that Iowa will consistently be able to push the tempo.
Both of these teams will score above their season averages, and don’t be surprised if the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer Lucy Olsen tops 30 for the second time this season. The Racers will keep this close, but the Hawkeyes will ultimately prevail while scoring just below 100 points.
📊 Best odds: +20000 via DraftKings ($10 to win $2,000)
🤖 Iowa vs. Murray State AI prediction
For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for Iowa vs. Murray State. Our AI prediction projects a final score of Iowa 89, Murray State 62.
🖥️ AI score prediction: Iowa 89, Murray State 62
- Iowa is known for a high-powered offense, particularly through fast breaks and 3-point shooting, but it's been improving defensively in recent seasons.
- Murray State’s performances in the NCAA Tournament have often featured the team trying to capitalize on mismatches but struggling against schools with deeper rosters and greater talent.
- Murray State will likely try to control the tempo, playing at a slower pace and relying on defense to keep the game close.
🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean Iowa covering the spread (-9.5) and a total of Under 165.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.
📊 Live Iowa vs. Murray State odds
Follow the latest women's March Madness odds for the NCAA Tournament.
Latest Iowa vs. Murray State odds
Here are the latest Iowa vs. Murray State odds from BetMGM ahead of tipoff:
Spread
Iowa is a 9.5-point betting favorite with -115 odds to win by 10 or more points today.
Total
The Iowa vs. Murray State betting total is at 165.5 points, the same as the opening number. There's light juice on the Under at -115.
Moneyline
Iowa is a -500 favorite on the moneyline, with an implied win probability of 83.33%.
🔢 Iowa vs. Murray State opening odds
- Spread: Iowa -9.5 (-108) | Murray State +9.5 (-112)
- Moneyline: Iowa -472 | Murray State +355
- Over/Under: Over 165.5 (-110) | Under 165.5 (-110)
📺 How to watch Iowa vs. Murray State: Women's March Madness
📅 Date: Saturday, March 22
🕗 Time: Noon ET
📍 Location: Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Okla.)
📺 TV: ESPN
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live
Today's best women's March Madness picks
Here are our other women's March Madness picks for today's first-round games:
- Iowa vs. Murray State prediction
- UConn vs. Arkansas State prediction
- Best Paige Bueckers odds, player props
- USC vs. UNC Greensboro prediction
- Best JuJu Watkin odds, player props
- LSU vs. San Diego State prediction
💰 March Madness betting odds pages
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