The Northern Iowa Panthers and the UIC Flames meet in college basketball action from the Credit Union 1 Arena on Sunday afternoon. Who comes out ahead in this Missouri Valley Conference matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Northern Iowa vs. UIC Prediction.
Northern Iowa Team Preview
The Northern Iowa Panthers come into this one looking to build on a 72-65 win over Missouri State last time out. Bowen Born leads the Panthers in scoring with 13.6 PPG while Nate Heise has 13.6 PPG with 6 RPG and a team-high 2.5 APG to lead Northern Iowa in assists. Tytan Anderson has 11.2 PPG with a team-high 6.2 RPG to lead the Panthers on the glass while also capping off the group of double-digit scorers for Northern Iowa so far this season. As a team, Northern Iowa is averaging 72.5 PPG on 45.6% shooting from the field, 35.2% from three and 71.2% from the foul line this season.
UIC Team Preview
The UIC Flames come into this one looking to build on a 61-56 win over Illinois State last time out. Isaiah Rivera leads the Flames in scoring with 14.7 PPG along with 3.7 RPG while Toby Okani has 10.5 PPG with a team-high 7.6 RPG and 2.1 BPG to lead the Flames in rebounding and blocks and CJ Jones also has 10.9 PPG with 3.5 RPG and a team-high 4.6 APG as well this season to lead the Flames in assists while capping off the trio of double-digit scorers for the Flames. As a team, UIC is averaging 69.1 PPG on 44.7% shooting from the field, 36.3% from three and 66.9% from the foul line this season.
Prediction
I’m on Northern Iowa here. I went back and forth on this game, but the reality is that Northern Iowa is simply the better team with the more trustworthy offense and they do a good job of taking care of the basketball, which are all things we can’t necessarily say about UIC. The Panthers at a near pick ‘em feels like a bit of a gift and it’s one I’ll gladly accept. Give me Northern Iowa in this one.