Bradley Braves vs Northern Iowa Panthers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Bradley vs Northern Iowa NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Cedar Falls.

Bradley vs Northern Iowa Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Braves and Panthers. The game is starting at 4:00 ET on ESPN2, and it's hosted by the Panthers at McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA. Get ready to place your bets! This Missouri Valley conference matchup has an over/under of 139.5 points, and Northern Iowa is favored to win by -1.5 at home vs. Bradley.

Bradley vs. Northern Iowa Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Bradley Braves at Northern Iowa Panthers
Where: Cedar Falls at McLeod Center
Date: Sunday, February 2nd
Betting Odds NIOWA -1.5, BRADLY +110 | NIOWA -134 O/U 139.5

Braves Preview: No Pressure for Bradley as Away Dogs

Bradley Braves Recent Game/Games

Bradley dropped to 17-4 on the season after a 93-70 home loss to UIC on Wednesday. The Braves were -8.5 favorites going into the game but failed to cover the spread.

Bradley trailed 55-39 at halftime and couldn’t mount a comeback, scoring 31 points in the 2nd half while allowing 38. The game’s total points of 163 exceeded the O/U line of 147.5.

Braves Offense Breakdown

Bradley's offense put up 70 points in their last game, shooting 48.3% from the field. They were particularly effective inside, hitting 63.9% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 25% of their threes (6/24).

Javon Jackson led the way with 25 points, hitting 4 of 6 from deep, while Jordan Mason added 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting, going 2 for 2 from three and dishing out 7 assists. The Braves finished with 13 assists as a team and grabbed 6 offensive rebounds.

Braves Team Defense

Bradley’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 93 points on 48% shooting. They allowed 29 field goals on 60 attempts.

Inside the arc, the Braves allowed 63% shooting, with their opponent hitting 23 of 36 two-point shots. From three-point range, they gave up 6 threes on 24 attempts, a 25% rate. Bradley also sent their opponent to the line 9 times, where they made 6 free throws.

Panthers Preview: Will Northern Iowa Win at Home?

Northern Iowa Panthers Recent Game/Games

The Panthers fell to 12-9 on the season after a 66-52 road loss to Drake on Wednesday. Northern Iowa entered the game as +7.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 118, falling short of the 122.5 O/U line.

After trailing 36-24 at halftime, Northern Iowa scored 28 points in the 2nd half while allowing 30. They’ll look to bounce back after this latest setback.

Panthers Offense Breakdown

In their recent game, Northern Iowa managed just 52 points, shooting 44.7% from the field. They connected on 43.8% of their threes, hitting 7 of 16 attempts, while their two-point shooting was 45.2%.

Bennett Stirtz led the way with 20 points, shooting 63.6% overall and 66.7% from three. Tytan Anderson added 16 points, hitting 70% of his shots. The Panthers struggled at the free-throw line, making only 3 of 7 attempts.

Panthers Team Defense

Despite Northern Iowa's defensive efforts, they gave up 66 points while allowing their opponent to shoot 50% from the field. The Panthers held their opponent to 42% shooting on two-point attempts, with 12 made shots from inside the arc.

From three-point range, Northern Iowa's defense struggled, allowing 10 threes on 16 attempts, a 62% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 12 shots, shooting 57% from the line. The Panthers gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the game.

Braves vs Panthers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their last three road contests, Bradley has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 3-0, while averaging 74 points per game.
Through their last three home games, Northern Iowa has an ATS record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 1-2 while averaging 58 points per game.
Going back to their last five games as the underdog, the Braves have a straight up record of 0-5. But, their mark vs the spread was just 0-5.
Through their last five games as the favorite, the Panthers have an ATS record of 3-2 and a straight up mark of 3-2.