Illinois State vs Northern Iowa 2/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Northern Iowa Panthers will travel to Redbird Arena to take on the Illinois State Redbirds this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.

The Northern Iowa Panthers had their 5-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 14-10 on the season after being defeated by the Loyola (CHI) Ramblers, 85-68, this past Sunday. Northern Iowa had no answers on the defensive end against Loyola (CHI) and could not fight back after the Ramblers took a 72-47 lead with 10:11 left in regulation. Northern Iowa shot 40.0% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Loyola (CHI) to shoot 63.6% from the field & 51.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Panthers was AJ Green who had 20 points.

On the season, Northern Iowa is averaging 73.1 ppg on 45.3% shooting from the field. The Panthers are averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game on 35.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northern Iowa has been led by AJ Green (18.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 apg), Noah Carter (13.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg), Trae Berhow (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg), & Nate Heise (9.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Northern Iowa is allowing their opponents to average 69.2 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Panthers have a rebound margin of 2.0 and a turnover margin of 0.2.

The Illinois State Redbirds dropped to 11-15 on the season after being defeated by the Indiana State Sycamores, 60-57, this past Saturday. Illinois State led by a 36-24 margin at halftime, however, the offense struggled throughout the 2^nd half and the Redbirds could not fight back after a Cooper Neese layup gave Indiana State the lead for good with 1:49 left in regulation. Illinois State shot 33.3% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Indiana State to shoot 34.6% from the field & 17.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Liam McChesney who had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Illinois State is averaging 76.0 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Redbirds are averaging 7.9 three-pointers per game on 36.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Illinois State has been led by Antonio Reeves (19.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg), Sy Chatman (13.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg), Josiah Strong (12.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.0 spg), & Kendall Lewis (9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.1 bpg). Illinois State will be without Sy Chatman who suffered a season-ending ACL injury and is out for the remainder of the season.

Defensively, Illinois State is allowing their opponents to average 76.0 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Redbirds have a rebound margin of 0.2 and a turnover margin of -1.0.

The Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Redbirds are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Tuesday games & 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games.

Northern Iowa struggled against Loyola (CHI), however, the Panthers have been playing some solid basketball as of late which includes quality wins against Drake & Bradley along with a 15-point win at home vs. Illinois State. Illinois State is a great offensive team, however, the defense has really struggled as the Redbirds come into this game, ranked 320^th in scoring defense & 242^nd in defensive FG%, and between the fact that Northern Iowa has a winning road record and that they are just the more well-balanced team, I think the play here is to take Northern Iowa to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!