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Holy Cross vs. Iowa Expert Pick, Best Bet: Caitlin Clark Begins NCAA Tournament Run Today

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: March 23, 2024 12:02 PM EDT • 2 min 37 sec read.

Kate Martin #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes holds the trophy as we look at our Holy Cross vs. Iowa expert pick
Kate Martin #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes holds the trophy after defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 94-89 in overtime to win the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Championship. Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images via AFP.

The No. 1 seeded Iowa Hawkeyes face the 16th-seeded Holy Cross Crusaders in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament in the Albany 2 region on Saturday, as we offer our Holy Cross vs. Iowa prediction based on the best women's March Madness odds.

The No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (29-4), led by standout Caitlin Clark, enter the NCAA Tournament seeking to replicate their impressive 2023 run. Their journey commences with a first-round matchup against the No. 16 seed Holy Cross Crusaders (21-12) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on ABC this Saturday, attracting significant attention as they pursue March Madness success while set as a 36.5-point favorite.

Iowa owns the second-shortest Women's March Madness odds, trailing only South Carolina, heading into the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Here is our best Holy Cross vs. Iowa expert pick (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Don't miss our guide to how to bet on Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament.

Holy Cross (16) vs. Iowa (1) prediction: Albany 2 Region 

Holy Cross +36.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Odds: -110 via Betway

It's never fun betting against Clark and the Hawkeyes, especially not against a Holy Cross team without a win over a current tournament team. But this is simply too many points to lay on Iowa in the first round.

Consider that the Hawkeyes have won just six games by 37 points or more all season long, and only one of those wins have come in the past two months. This team needed overtime to survive Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament final, even with 34 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds from Clark.

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Conversely, Holy Cross lost 12 games this season by an average of 8.7 points, and none came by more than 15 points. Even against Power Five opponents like Boston College (-5) and Villanova (-10), the Crusaders held their own.

This is a different test, though Holy Cross looked sharp in its 72-45 blowout over UT Martin in the First Four. This group has also held opponents to 30.3% shooting from deep across a 6-2 run heading into Saturday's contest, which is at least somewhat encouraging ahead of a test with Clark and Co.

If the superstar senior heats up, there's no stopping her or this Iowa offense, but this is still a huge cushion for the Crusaders in a 40-minute contest. I'll take my chances with this big number on the underdogs.

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Holy Cross vs. Iowa spread & Over/Under analysis

Shortly after Holy Cross blasted UT Martin by 27 points in the First Four, it opened as a 36.5-point underdog against No. 1 seed Iowa ahead of Saturday's first-round contest. That doesn't come as any surprise given the dominant play - and subsequent media attention - that has defined the Hawkeyes' season.

The total also opened at 153.5 points at Betway, no doubt influenced by Clark and Iowa's high-flying offense. If the Crusaders can find a way to at least deter some of those outside shots, we could see a lower-scoring game than our best sports betting sites expect.

Holy Cross vs. Iowa game info

  • When: Saturday, March 23
  • Tip-off: 3 p.m. ET
  • Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
  • How to watch: ABC

Holy Cross-Iowa prediction made Friday at 8 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
C Jackson Cowart
C Jackson Cowart is an award-winning sports writer, reporter, and editor with nearly a decade of experience in the industry, with previous stops at theScore, Action Network, Forbes, and ESPN before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's written about sports betting for the last five years, with a specialty in NFL, NBA, MLB, and collegiate futures markets and a weakness for novelty props and betting on the eventual runner-up. He's also an avid fantasy sports manager and commissioner and runs a sports card business on the side. He's a fiercely proud Oregon native and UNC alumnus, and he can't seem to stop betting on Ben Simmons to win MVP.