The Wichita State Shockers (12-5) travel to Northern Iowa to play the Panthers (10-9) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Panthers lost to Loyola Chicago 51-41 on Saturday. Jeremy Morgan finished with 15 points to lead the game. The Shockers are coming off an 82-62 win over Indiana State on Sunday. Fred VanVleet led the game in scoring with 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
VanVleet has been on a tear over the last five games for the Shockers, averaging 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.0 three-pointer.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Northern Iowa ranks 334th in the nation in possessions per game (65.2 possessions per game), while Wichita State is 319th (66.1).
Northern Iowa is a five-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 128 points. The Panthers are attempting to build on their records of 10-9 Straight Up (SU) and 8-10 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. The Panthers are a dangerously accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .381 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, Wichita State has a SU record of 12-5 and an ATS record of 8-7. Most recently, Wichita State is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. The Shockers rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 43rd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.33. The Wichita State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 19th in Division I with only 62.8 points allowed per game.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, Wichita State came out on top, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, Wichita State has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Wichita State held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last five meetings. Northern Iowa never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wich, ATS Winner – NoIa, O/U – Under
Notes
Northern Iowa is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Northern Iowa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northern Iowa’s last 6 games.
Northern Iowa is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Northern Iowa’s last 11 games when playing Wichita State.
Northern Iowa is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Wichita State.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northern Iowa’s last 6 games when playing at home against Wichita State.
Northern Iowa averages 71.0 points per game, placing the team just 229th in the nation. Wichita State ranks 19th in points allowed, giving up 62.8 points per game.
Northern Iowa scores just 73.2 points per home game (ranked 258th). Wichita State ranks 41st in points allowed on the road, giving up 68.1 points.
Wichita State won its last game by a 20-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Northern Iowa is 5-1. Wichita State is 7-1 in blowouts this season.
Ranked 73rd, the Wichita State Shockers have an offensive rating of 111.1. The Northern Iowa Panthers rank 144th with a defensive rating of just 100.9.
Northern Iowa has an average field goal percentage of 47.1%. Wichita State is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Northern Iowa Panthers and the Wichita State Shockers both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Northern Iowa is 47th and 22nd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Wichita State is 261st and 223rd in these categories.
Wichita State ranks 43rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33. Northern Iowa is ranked lower at 123rd with an A/TO of 1.15.
On average, Northern Iowa makes 5.5 steals per game. Wichita State has a solid 7-3 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
