Northern Iowa vs Missouri State 2/20/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Missouri State Bears will travel to the McLeod Center to take on the Northern Iowa Panthers this Sunday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Missouri State Bears won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 20-8 on the season after defeating the Indiana State Sycamores, 79-70, this past Tuesday. Missouri State was outstanding on the offensive end in the 2^nd half against Indiana State and was able to pull away later after a 20-4 run gave the Bears a 77-62 lead with 1:59 left in regulation. Missouri State shot 43.3% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Indiana State to shoot 40.7% from the field & 31.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Gaige Prim who had a double-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Missouri State is averaging 77.3 ppg on 48.2% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 38.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Missouri State has been led by Isiaih Mosley (20.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg), Gaige Prim (15.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 bpg), Jaylen Minnett (9.3 ppg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 spg), & Donovan Clay (7.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.0 apg).

Defensively, Missouri State is allowing their opponents to average 67.0 ppg on 41.3% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of 0.4.

The Northern Iowa Panthers improved to 15-10 on the season after defeating the Illinois State Redbirds, 72-70, this past Tuesday. Northern Iowa led by a 42-35 margin early in the 2^nd half and was able to take the lead for good after a pair of FT’s by Noah Carter gave the Panthers a 71-70 lead with 1:14 left in regulation. Northern Iowa shot 45.8% from the field & 24.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Illinois State to shoot 44.1% from the field & 30.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Panthers was Noah Carter who had 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Northern Iowa is averaging 73.0 ppg on 45.4% shooting from the field. The Panthers are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 34.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northern Iowa has been led by AJ Green (18.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg), Noah Carter (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg), Trae Berhow (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg), & Nate Heise (9.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Northern Iowa is allowing their opponents to an average of 69.2 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Panthers have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of 0.5.

The Bears are 13-7 ATS in their last 20 games, however, are just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games vs. Northern Iowa. The Panthers are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games & 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 Sunday home games.

Missouri State has been outstanding on both ends of the court this season as the Bears come into this game ranked 42^nd in scoring offense, 19^th in FG%, & 85^th in defensive FG%. Northern Iowa has been decent o the offensive end, ranking 135^th in scoring offense & 108^th in FG%, however, the Panthers have struggled on the defensive end as they currently rank just 184^th in scoring defense & 244^th in defensive FG%. Northern Iowa is 8-4 at home this season and was able to pick up a win at Missouri State earlier this season, however, the Bears in my opinion are just the better team in this one and as I expect the duo of Isiaih Mosley & Gaige Prim will have plenty of success, I think the Bears and the points are the play here. Good Luck!