Drake vs Northern Iowa Prediction 2/23/25 College Basketball Picks

The Drake Bulldogs and the Northern Iowa Panthers meet Sunday in college basketball action from McLeod Center. Here’s a Drake vs Northern Iowa prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Drake vs Northern Iowa pick. We will examine: 

The Drake Bulldogs’ recent form and player performance

The Northern Iowa Panthers’ recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Drake Bulldogs

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Northern Iowa Panthers

Recent betting trends in games played between Drake and Northern Iowa

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Drake vs Northern Iowa game

Drake Bulldogs Betting Preview

Drake has been one of the more consistent teams in the country so far this year; they’ve got just one instance of consecutive losses so far. The Bulldogs won their first 12 straight games right out of the gate before falling to UIC and Murray State in succession. Another winning streak came after that as Drake took out Bradley, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Valparaiso, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Murray State, Indiana State, and Illinois State. After another loss to Bradley last weekend, the Bulldogs took out UIC in their most recent appearance. That gives Drake a 24-3 overall run through their first 27 games this year. 

In the UIC matchup on Wednesday, the Bulldogs didn’t have too many issues. Drake hit a 45-28 run to start the game, then finished with a 29-29 stretch for a 74-57 victory in the end. Bennett Stirtz led the team with 25 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Cam Manyawu added 12 points with eight rebounds and one assist, while Tavion Banks came off the bench for 10 points and six rebounds alongside one assist. 

Northern Iowa Panthers Betting Preview

Over on the Northern Iowa side, they started the year on a pretty choppy run but they’ve been looking great since early January. The Panthers kicked things off with a 9-5 stretch, taking out Dubuque, Milwaukee, Western Illinois, UIC, Northern Illinois, Omaha, Montana, Southern Illinois, and Belmont in that time. Northern Iowa would go 4-4 in their next eight with wins over Illinois State, Evansville, Missouri State, and Indiana State among losses to Valparaiso, Murray State, Southern Illinois, and Drake. Since then Northern Iowa has rattled off wins over Bradley, Missouri State, Illinois State, Indiana State, Murray State, and Belmont, giving the Panthers a 19-9 record through 28 games this year. 

Matched up against Belmont in their road rematch Wednesday, the Panthers came out of the locker room sporting a 44-37 halftime deficit. Northern Iowa came back on a 45-31 run from there, however, eventually pulling off the win 82-75. Titan Anderson led the team with 27 points, nine rebounds, and two assists, while Ben Schwieger added 17 points with 10 boards and for assists. Both Max Weisbrod and Trey Campbell (eight rebounds) each scored 12 points also. 

Why the Northern Iowa Panthers will win

• Northern Iowa has won each of its last six games against the Missouri Valley Conference.

Why the Drake Bulldogs will win

• Drake has won 12 of its last 13 games against the Missouri Valley Conference.

Drake vs Northern Iowa Prediction 

I’ll lean toward Northern Iowa, but you could make a case either way. The Panthers were in trouble after the first half in their latest road win over Belmont but everything worked out well in the end. Northern Iowa finished with a nice 50 percent shooting with a 47-28 rebounding edge but did give up 12 turnovers for 18 Bruins points along the way. Still, the win streak extends to six with that victory, and Northern Iowa has scored 82 or more points in two of the last three. 

The Panthers took a 66-52 loss on the road the last time these teams met up back on January 29. Northern Iowa had turnover trouble in that one as well with 14 for 21 Bulldogs points. The Panthers really need to clean up their act in the home rematch, but I think they’ve got a good chance here.