Hey, what happened? I’ve been struggling mightily in end game situations, but got one back Tuesday night with the free play winner on Toledo. The Rockets were down the entire game, but rallied at the finish line to get the win at Buffalo. Tonight, I’m giving some substantial points in what I believe could end up being a blowout.
551 MISSOURI STATE @ 552 NORTHERN IOWA
Take: 552 NORTHERN IOWA -12.5
I really cannot pinpoint the reason, other than the fact they weren’t playing good basketball. But whatever was ailing Northern Iowa for the better part of this season seems to have been remedied. The Panthers are in their best form of the campaign and I like their chances of extending the current win streak tonight.
Missouri State was an upset winner over UNI in the earlier meeting, and that was a pretty bad game for the Panthers. They seemed to have the proceedings pretty well in hand midway through the second half. But Northern Iowa went ice cold down the stretch and Missouri State got the surprising 59-58 victory.
I’ll be very surprised if there’s anything resembling that suspense this evening. Northern Iowa is unlikely to take the Bears for granted, as they might well have done in the prior hookup. That’s bad news for the Bears, who are a gritty bunch but simply are not very talented.
Missouri State cannot shoot the basketball. The numbers are disturbingly bad. The Bears get points for adhering to Paul Lusk’s system and working hard to get higher percentage shots. But they’re just not very good at actually getting the ball to go into the basket.
That’s likely to be a problem here as Northern Iowa is starting to find its rhythm, and if the Panthers are sharp again tonight, I don’t see that there’s much chance Missouri State is going to be able to hang in.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but as it applies here, I’ll do so again. I’m an advocate of backing superior teams in same season revenge if they have positive momentum on their side. UNI qualifies on that count, as they’ve rolled to four straight wins and covers. I like the chances for the Panthers to extend that run tonight, and I’m willing to lay the points with Northern Iowa in the process.
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