NCAA Men’s Basketball: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Northern Illinois Huskies- Possible Lineups and Predictions

Published 12/13/2020, 8:00 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

NCAA Men’s Basketball action will see the number three ranked Iowa Hawkeyes continue their strong start to the season with a clash against the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Hawkeyes have solid credentials as possible champions this season, with their dominant big man Luka Garza leading them.

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Garza is a shoo-in for College Player of the Year, as he seems to be breaking records every time he steps on to the court. Along with him is a fantastic core of Hawkeyes players that are facilitating an environment for Garza to dominate.

The Huskies are heading into a mismatch. They are winless in their first four games and are going against possibly the best team in the country. However, is there ever a slim chance that they can pull off an upset? We have seen a whole host of them all through this tumultuous season.

NCAA Men’s Basketball: Is the result a foregone conclusion?

Sport is an arena for upsets of a whole variety. We have seen David’s take on Goliath’s a lot, and the results have yielded a lot of surprises. No one thought that the Kentucky Wildcats would lose so many games to Division 2 schools. But they did. However, this analogy just cannot apply to this matchup.

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USA Today via Reuters

The Hawkeyes have a point differential of over 28 points through the start of the season. Their three-headed monster of Garza, Joe Wieskamp, and Jordan Bohannon have dominated all opposition defenses. At the same time, they have also limited opponents to an average of 60 points a game.

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The Hawkeyes may not lineup with all their stars. This game might allow players to get rest, but considering the efficient clip at which Garza and others do their damage, they may start and play limited minutes. Hawkeyes will add Connor McCaffrey and CJ Frederick for their starting lineup.

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The Central Eagles will line up with Darius Beane, Zool Kueth, Trendon Hankerson, Adong Makuoi, and Anthony Crump.

The Hawkeyes win this game, not much doubt about it.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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