The Northern Iowa Panthers (16-12) bring the regular season to an end at McLeod Center as they host the Illinois State Redbirds (17-11). The game begins at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and can be seen on CCS.
The Panthers lost a close one to Loyola Chicago 59-56 on Wednesday. Matt Bohannon played well, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, and one steal for Northern Iowa. The Redbirds, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-50 win over Indiana State on Wednesday. Paris Lee led the game in scoring with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Redbirds winning the first matchup 76-67. Wes Washpun had a standout performance with 23 points, one rebound, six assists, and two three-pointers in the loss.
The Panthers have gone 16-12 Straight Up (SU) and 14-13 Against The Spread (ATS). The Panthers are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Northern Iowa defense has been very good, only giving up 64.7 points per game.
On the other side, Illinois State has a SU record of 17-11 and an ATS record of 13-13. The Illinois State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 43rd in Division I with only 66.1 points allowed per game.
Illinois State beat Northern Iowa in their most recent meeting this season, but Northern Iowa still leads the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over their most recent matchups. Additionally, with a 5-4-1 record, Northern Iowa has the advantage ATS. Neither Northern Iowa nor Illinois State has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – IllSt, ATS Winner – IllSt
Notes
“Northern Iowa is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“Northern Iowa is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Northern Iowa’s last 7 games “.
“Northern Iowa is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Northern Iowa is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Northern Iowa’s last 7 games at home”.
“Northern Iowa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Illinois State”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Northern Iowa’s last 8 games when playing Illinois State”.
“Northern Iowa is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Illinois State”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northern Iowa’s last 6 games when playing at home against Illinois State”.
Northern Iowa scores an average of just 69.2 points per game (ranked 208th). Illinois State ranks 43rd in points allowed, giving up 66.1 points per game.
Northern Iowa scores just 71.0 points per home game (ranked 220th). Illinois State ranks 55th in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.1 points.
In its last game, Illinois State won by a margin of 28 points. Northern Iowa is 6-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Illinois State has a 1-0 record in blowouts.
The Illinois State Redbirds average 67.6 possessions per game and 1.001 points per possession. The Northern Iowa Panthers earn fewer possessions with 63.9, but they score more points with 1.083.
Northern Iowa has an average effective field goal percentage of 54.1%. Illinois State is a losing 3-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Northern Iowa Panthers attempt 22.0 three point field goals per game and the Illinois State Redbirds attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Northern Iowa has a split 10-10 record, while Illinois State is 10-7.
The Northern Iowa Panthers average 5.5 steals per game. When allowing 5 or more steals, the Illinois State Redbirds are an even 9-9 this season.
