Half-time report
After a tough road loss in its last outing, N. Iowa looks much better today on its home field. They jumped out to an early 37-31 lead against Missouri State.
If N. Iowa continues to play like this, their record will go to 12-8 in no time. On the other hand, Missouri State will have to settle for a 7-13 record unless they turn things around (and quickly).
Who’s playing
Missouri State Bears @ N.Iowa Panthers
Current records: Missouri State 7-12, N. Iowa 11-8
How to watch
What you need to know
N. Iowa is 8-2 against Missouri State since January 2020, and they will have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The two will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 8 p.m. ET at the McLeod Center. The Panthers are strutting around with some offensive power as they have averaged 75.7 points per game this season.
Pundits predicted Northern Iowa would head in after a win, but Southern Illinois made sure that didn’t happen. Northern Iowa suffered a painful 73-49 loss to Southern Illinois on Saturday. For those following at home, this is the biggest defeat suffered by the Panthers since February 3, 2024.
Meanwhile, Missouri State’s recent rough patch got a little tougher Saturday after its seventh straight loss. They fell 74-68 to Illinois State. The Bears jumped out to an early lead (up by 13 with 8:39 left in the first quarter), but unfortunately, they were unable to maintain that momentum.
This defeat does not tell the whole story, because several players had good matches. One of the most active was Dez White, who went 7 of 11 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points. This dominant performance also gave him a new career high in field goal percentage (66.7%). Another player who made the difference was Vincent Brady II, who had 13 points and two steals.
Missouri State struggled to get the ball on offense and finished the game with just four offensive rebounds. They were smoked by their opponents in that department as Illinois State struck out 12.
N. Iowa’s loss dropped its record to 11-8. As for Missouri State, their loss dropped their record to 7-12.
Looking ahead, Northern Iowa is the favorite in this one, as experts expect to see them win by 11 points. For those looking to play the spread, keep N. Iowa’s opponent in mind: They have a solid 8-2 ATS record against Missouri State in their last ten matchups.
N. Iowa defeated Missouri State 72-65 in their previous game in February 2024. Will N. Iowa repeat their success, or does Missouri State have a better plan to match this time? We’ll know soon enough.
Odds
N. Iowa is a heavy 11-point favorite against Missouri State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of ​​the line for this one, as the game opened with the Panthers as 10.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 133.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
N. Iowa has won 8 of its last 10 games against Missouri State.
- February 7, 2024 – N. Iowa 72 vs. Missouri State 65
- January 3, 2024 – N. Iowa 64 vs. Missouri State 62
- February 18, 2023 – N. Iowa 69 vs. Missouri State 66
- December 28, 2022 – Missouri State 79 vs. N. Iowa 67
- February 20, 2022 – N. Iowa 95 vs. Missouri State 75
- January 8, 2022 – N. Iowa 85 vs. Missouri State 84
- December 28, 2020 – N. Iowa 85 vs. Missouri State 75
- December 27, 2020 – Missouri State 79 vs. N. Iowa 59
- January 29, 2020 – N. Iowa 95 vs. Missouri State 66
- January 11, 2020 – N. Iowa 80 vs. Missouri State 57
