Northern Iowa vs Drake 1/22/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Drake Bulldogs (13-6) vs. Northern Iowa Panthers (9-8)
January 22, 2022 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Northern Iowa Panthers -2.5 / Drake Bulldogs +2.5; Over/Under: -143.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Drake Bulldogs and the Northern Iowa Panthers meet in college basketball action from the McLeod Center on Saturday.
The Drake Bulldogs will look to rebound from an 83-71 loss to Bradley last time out. Tucker Devries leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 13.4 PPG along with 4.5 RPG while Garrett Sturtz has 10.5 PPG with a team-high 7.1 RPG and Roman Penn has 10.4 PPG with 3.8 APG to make up the trio of double-digit scorers for Drake so far this season. Tremell Murphy has 9.8 PPG with 5.2 RPG while D.J. Wilkins and ShanQuan Hemphill each have 9.4 PPG with Wilkins posting 2.3 APG this season. As a team, As a team, Drake is averaging 74.2 PPG on 45.9% shooting from the field, 37.3% from three and 73.1% from the foul line while allowing 65.3 PPG on 43.4% shooting from the field and 34.2% from three this season.
The Northern Iowa Panthers will look to bounce back after an 83-80 OT loss to Valparaiso last time out. AJ Green leads the Panthers in scoring with 17.8 PPG but will miss this game with an illness while Noah Carter has 14.4 PPG and Nate Heise has 10.4 PPG and a team-high 5.2 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for UNI this season as the Panthers’ top rebounder. Trae Berhow has 9.5 PPG and 5 RPG this season. As a team, Northern Iowa is averaging 74.9 PPG on 46.3% shooting from the field, 35.4% from three and 76.8% from the foul line while allowing 70.2 PPG on 44.6% shooting from the field and 35% from three this season.
Drake is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog and 3-17-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall while the under is 4-1 in their last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record. Northern Iowa is 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 home games and 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite while the over is 8-0 in their last 8 games overall.
I get why Drake could be worth a look here as AJ Green, one of Northern Iowa’s best players is out of the lineup. However, Drake isn’t the same covering machine that we came to know and love last season. They’ve struggled as of late, especially in the underdog role. Northern Iowa is a team I wasn’t high on early in the year, but there’s no denying that the Panthers have stepped it up lately and at this line, they’re worth the price. Give me Northern Iowa and lay the bucket.
