Murray State vs Northern Iowa Prediction 1/8/25 College Basketball Picks

The Murray State Racers and the Northern Iowa Panthers meet Wednesday 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 vs. Northern Iowa prediction.

Murray State Recap

The Murray State Racers come into this game looking to build on a 66-59 win over Drake last time out on the road as double-digit underdogs to improve their record to 8-7 on the year. After this game, Murray State will head back home for a matchup with Valparaiso.

Racers Looking To Build Momentum

JaCobi Wood leads the Racers in scoring and assists with 13.7 PPG and 5.1 APG along with 3.8 RPG while Kylen Milton has 13.1 PPG with 4.4 RPG. AJ Ferguson added 12 PPG with a team-high 5.3 RPG to lead the Racers on the glass while Terence Harcum chipped in 12.1 PPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Murray State up to this point in the year. KyeRon Lindsay also has 7.8 PPG with 4.9 RPG of his own as well this season. As a team, Murray State is averaging 75.5 PPG on 46.1% shooting from the field, 36.5% from three, and 70.1% from the foul line so far this season.

Northern Iowa Recap

The Northern Iowa Panthers come into this game looking to bounce back after ending up with an 80-73 loss to Valparaiso in their last game to bring their record to 9-6 on the year. After this game, Northern Iowa will head on the road for a game against Illinois State.

Panthers Looking For Rebound

Tytan Anderson leads the Panthers in scoring and rebounding with 14.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG while Jacob Hutson has 12.5 PPG with 3.5 RPG. Leon Bond III has added 11.7 PPG with 5.3 RPG while Trey Campbell’s chipped in 10 PPG with 4.5 RPG and a team-high 3.3 APG to lead the Panthers in assists and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Northern Iowa so far this season. Ben Schwieger also has 9.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Northern Iowa is averaging 77.5 PPG on 51.6% shooting from the field, 37.3% from three, and 71% from the foul line this season.

Why the Northern Iowa Panthers will win

• Northern Iowa has won each of its last 13 night games at McLeod Center.
• Murray State has lost each of its last four road night games against the Missouri Valley Conference.

Murray State vs. Northern Iowa Prediction

I’m with Northern Iowa here. The Panthers are just the better team playing the better basketball well before their last game. Murray State did well to get a nice home win against Drake, but the Panthers despite just a 9-6 record, in my opinion, are one of the teams to beat in the Missouri Valley. The Panthers crush teams at home and they’re a solid 7-1 ATS as a home favorite this season. I just don’t think Murray State keeps up for a full 40 minutes in this game, so give me Northern Iowa here.