For the third consecutive season, the No. 9 seed Illinois State Redbirds and the No. 8 seed Northern Iowa Panthers meet to open their 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and Arch Madness. This time they meet on Thursday in St. Louis. The Panthers (13-17, 9-11 MVC) won both of those meetings and are 6-6 against Illinois State in St. Louis. The Redbirds (11-20, 6-14), who have lost 10 of their last 13 games, last beat Northern Iowa 76-70 on Dec. 31, 2019. Both teams will be looking to become just the second in Arch Madness history to make the tournament championship game after playing on Thursday, joining Valparaiso in 2020. No team has won four tournament games to clinch the title. The winner of this game moves on to face top-seed Bradley in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The game from the Enterprise Center will tip off at 1 p.m. ET. Illinois State is averaging 66.6 points per game, while Northern Iowa averages 70.1. The Panthers are 4-point favorites in the latest Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 134.5. Before making any Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 17 of the season 76-46 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,600 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on UNI vs. Illinois State and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Illinois State vs. UNI:
- Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa spread: Northern Iowa -4
- Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa over/under: 134.5 points
- Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa money line: Illinois State +152, Northern Iowa -180
- ILST: The Over is 8-2 in the Redbirds' last 10 games following a straight-up win
- UNI: The Panthers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six neutral site games
- Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Northern Iowa can cover
Freshman guard Michael Duax is off to a fast start to his collegiate career. In 30 games, including 28 starts, he is averaging 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists per game. He is coming off a 12-point and eight-rebound performance in the loss to Belmont on Sunday. He has registered three double-doubles this year, including a 21-point and 11-rebound effort in a 78-72 win at Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 21.
Also making an impact for the program is freshman guard Landon Wolf. In 30 games off the bench, he is averaging 24.1 minutes per game, to go along with 7.8 points and 1.6 rebounds. He has been solid of late, scoring a season-high 21 points against Belmont on Sunday and 17 at Southern Illinois in an 86-63 loss on Feb. 22. He has reached double-figure scoring nine times.
Why Illinois State can cover
Junior guard Darius Burford has been red hot of late, and has reached double-digit scoring in each of the last eight games. He scored a season-high-tying 23 points and grabbed five rebounds in an 80-64 loss at Indiana State on Feb. 18. He has scored 10 points or more in 22 games, including 20 or more points five times. For the year, he is averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He is connecting on 48.9% of his field goals and 81.9% of his free throws.
Senior guard Seneca Knight, a transfer from BYU, has started 23 of 31 games for the Redbirds. He also played three seasons at San Jose State. Knight has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, including three with 20 or more points. He is coming off a 26-point performance against Evansville on Sunday. He recorded his second double-double of the season last Wednesday in an 82-51 loss at Drake, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. For the year, he is averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
How to make Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 142 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $1,600 on its college basketball picks this season, and find out.
