Northern Iowa Panthers can wrap up MVC title at home vs. Creighton
The Panthers blew a chance to have the Missouri Valley regular season title sewn up in their last game. Just as well as Northern Iowa can now clinch at home in Cedar Falls.
A failed attempt to clinch the Missouri Valley regular season title behind them, Northern Iowa gets another crack Tuesday at home in Cedar Falls when the Panthers host the Creighton Bluejays.
The Panthers (22-3, 13-2 MVC) could have wrapped up the conference last Saturday on the road in Peoria against Bradley where NIU was favored by 5 ½. The Braves didn't let it happen, pulling off a 68-59 upset for their first triumph over a ranked opponent since opening Carver Arena 28 years ago.
Northern Iowa looked as if it would coast to the victory with a nine-point lead at the half. Bradley's Andrew Warren led the second half charge for the Braves, scoring his entire game load of 15 points in the final 20 minutes. Warren was one of four Bradley players to score at least 12 points.
Ben Jacobson's Panthers lost the turnover battle in the setback, 16-8, and shot under 33 percent from the field, including 6-of-30 from long range. The Panthers are shooting nearly 44 percent on the season, and average under 11 turnovers per contest.
The straight up loss was also Northern Iowa's third loss against the spread in its last four games. The Panthers bring a very solid 16-8 record at the window on the season into Tuesday's game, but have been saddled with higher expectations from the oddsmakers recently in conference play, in part due to the streaking to a 16-1 SU mark to open the season.
Spread defeats aren't uncommon for squads that rely on their defense more than offense, and Northern Iowa certainly fits that bill despite its profitable record. The Panthers are second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing their opposition to net just over 55 points per game. NIU is able to do that by not allowing its foes too many opportunities at the charity stripe. Panthers adversaries are scoring 9.4 points via free throws, third-best in the country.
Creighton (13-13, 8-7 MVC) comes into this one off a 67-63 loss at home to Illinois State this past Saturday. The Bluejays were three-point favorites in the game and lost at home in Omaha's Qwest Center for just the second time this season.
That other home defeat came at hands of the Panthers back on Dec. 29 when Northern Iowa scored a 60-52 victory as one-point road pups. That win marked just the second for the Panthers in the last 10 meetings with the Bluejays. Creighton has also cashed in seven of the 10 tilts.
December's clash was the conference opener for both schools, and NIU's stifling defense set the tone in the first half when the Panthers limited Creighton to 18 points.
Wins on the road have been few and far between for the Bluejays this season, with their most recent highway dubya on Jan. 3 at Evansville, the MVC's doormat.
The two teams traded road wins with each other during the 2008-09 campaign. Northern Iowa pulled off a big upset in Omaha when the Panthers came through as 11 ½-point underdogs, 69-66, in last season's first meeting. Creighton got its revenge at McLeod Center about a month later with a 77-71 triumph while listed as 1 ½- point underdogs.
Bookmaker came out first with a 9 ½-point chalk line on the Panthers for this one. The total is listed at 122-122½. I like the Bluejays and the 'under' which means you should bet Northern Iowa and the 'over.'
The Panthers blew a chance to have the Missouri Valley regular season title sewn up in their last game. Just as well as Northern Iowa can now clinch at home in Cedar Falls.
A failed attempt to clinch the Missouri Valley regular season title behind them, Northern Iowa gets another crack Tuesday at home in Cedar Falls when the Panthers host the Creighton Bluejays.
The Panthers (22-3, 13-2 MVC) could have wrapped up the conference last Saturday on the road in Peoria against Bradley where NIU was favored by 5 ½. The Braves didn't let it happen, pulling off a 68-59 upset for their first triumph over a ranked opponent since opening Carver Arena 28 years ago.
Northern Iowa looked as if it would coast to the victory with a nine-point lead at the half. Bradley's Andrew Warren led the second half charge for the Braves, scoring his entire game load of 15 points in the final 20 minutes. Warren was one of four Bradley players to score at least 12 points.
Ben Jacobson's Panthers lost the turnover battle in the setback, 16-8, and shot under 33 percent from the field, including 6-of-30 from long range. The Panthers are shooting nearly 44 percent on the season, and average under 11 turnovers per contest.
The straight up loss was also Northern Iowa's third loss against the spread in its last four games. The Panthers bring a very solid 16-8 record at the window on the season into Tuesday's game, but have been saddled with higher expectations from the oddsmakers recently in conference play, in part due to the streaking to a 16-1 SU mark to open the season.
Spread defeats aren't uncommon for squads that rely on their defense more than offense, and Northern Iowa certainly fits that bill despite its profitable record. The Panthers are second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing their opposition to net just over 55 points per game. NIU is able to do that by not allowing its foes too many opportunities at the charity stripe. Panthers adversaries are scoring 9.4 points via free throws, third-best in the country.
Creighton (13-13, 8-7 MVC) comes into this one off a 67-63 loss at home to Illinois State this past Saturday. The Bluejays were three-point favorites in the game and lost at home in Omaha's Qwest Center for just the second time this season.
That other home defeat came at hands of the Panthers back on Dec. 29 when Northern Iowa scored a 60-52 victory as one-point road pups. That win marked just the second for the Panthers in the last 10 meetings with the Bluejays. Creighton has also cashed in seven of the 10 tilts.
December's clash was the conference opener for both schools, and NIU's stifling defense set the tone in the first half when the Panthers limited Creighton to 18 points.
Wins on the road have been few and far between for the Bluejays this season, with their most recent highway dubya on Jan. 3 at Evansville, the MVC's doormat.
The two teams traded road wins with each other during the 2008-09 campaign. Northern Iowa pulled off a big upset in Omaha when the Panthers came through as 11 ½-point underdogs, 69-66, in last season's first meeting. Creighton got its revenge at McLeod Center about a month later with a 77-71 triumph while listed as 1 ½- point underdogs.
Bookmaker came out first with a 9 ½-point chalk line on the Panthers for this one. The total is listed at 122-122½. I like the Bluejays and the 'under' which means you should bet Northern Iowa and the 'over.'