It opened Iowa State -1.5, not UConn. Anyway, a 1 point line might as well be a pick em, the difference is negligible.
Edit:
I read the opening line on the Iowa State board, they must have been wrong. Sportsbook.com has it as -2 for UConn, so it must have opened at -1.5 for UConn. Either way, it's really still negligible. If you're going to put money on one team or the other, might as well do it straight.