Murray State vs Northern Iowa Prediction 1/24/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Murray State Racers and the Northern Iowa Panthers meet Saturday in college basketball action from the McLeod Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Murray State Racers vs. Northern Iowa Panthers prediction.

Murray State Racers Recap

The Murray State Racers come into this game looking to bounce back from a 101-90 loss at the hands of Drake last time out to sit at 16-4 this season. After this game, Murray State will head home for a game against Illinois State.

Racers Have Win Streak Snapped

Javon Jackson leads the Racers in scoring with 17.3 PPG along with 2.8 APG while Fred King has 12.8 PPG with 8.7 RPG to lead the Racers in rebounding. Roman Domon has 12.4 PPG with 4.8 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Murray State up to this point in the year. Mason Miller has 7.7 PPG with 3.9 RPG and JJ Traynor also has 8.8 PPG with 4.3 RPG and Brayden Shorter has 6.7 PPG while Layne Taylor has 8.5 PPG with 3.1 RPG and a team-high 3.9 APG to lead the Racers in assists up to this point in the year. As a team, Murray State is averaging 87.8 PPG on 47.7% shooting from the field, 37.3% from three and 76% from the foul line this season.

Northern Iowa Panthers Recap

The Northern Iowa Panthers come into this game looking to bounce back from a 59-54 loss at the hands of Illinois State last time out to sit at 12-8 this season. After this game, Northern Iowa will head on the road for a game against Southern Illinois.

Panthers Lose 5 In A Row

Trey Campbell leads the Panthers in scoring and assists with 13.2 PPG and 3.5 APG along with 3.5 RPG and 2.2 SPG while Leon Bond III has 13.1 PPG with 5.6 RPG and 2 APG. Tristan Smith has 10.2 PPG with 5.7 RPG to lead Northern Iowa in rebounding and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Northern Iowa so far this season. Will Hornseth has 9.4 PPG with 4.3 RPG and Ben Schwieger has 7.8 PPG with 3.9 RPG and 2.2 APG as well this year. As a team, Northern Iowa is averaging 70.2 PPG on 46.4% shooting from the field, 36% from three and 68.2% from the foul line this season.

Murray State Racers @ Northern Iowa Panthers Betting Trends: January 24, 2026

Why the Northern Iowa Panthers will win

• Northern Iowa has won six of its last seven day games at McLeod Center.
• The home team has won the first half in each of Northern Iowa’s last four games.

Why the Murray State Racers will win

• Murray State has won each of its last eight day games.
• Northern Iowa has lost each of its last five games.
• Murray State has won the first half in seven of its last eight day games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Northern Iowa’s last 25 games have produced a total of 144 or fewer points.
• Each of Murray State’s last 11 games have produced a total of 148+ points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Northern Iowa ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game this season (59.7).
• Northern Iowa ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point percentage this season (25.7%).
• Murray State ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game this season (15.4).
• Murray State ranks 4th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goals made per game this season (5.2).

Murray State Racers vs. Northern Iowa Panthers Prediction

I’m on the Racers here. I just don’t think that the Panthers have what it takes to hang with Murray State for a full 40 minutes and I think Northern Iowa gets gets run over here. I’m looking for the Racers to pull away over the course of the second half and get the win and cover here.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Murray State -1.5