The Bradley Braves look to win their 11th game in a row when they battle the Northern Iowa Panthers in an Arch Madness quarterfinal at the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis on Friday. The Braves (23-8, 16-4 MVC), who won the regular-season league title, have won four of the last five meetings with Northern Iowa. The Panthers (14-17, 9-11), who snapped a two-game losing streak with Thursday's first-round 75-62 win over Illinois State, last faced the Braves in the MVC Tournament in 2019, falling 57-54 in the championship game. The teams have combined for nine MVC Tournament titles, including five by Northern Iowa.
The game from the Enterprise Center will tip off at 1 p.m. ET. Northern Iowa is averaging 70.3 points per game, while Bradley averages 71.5. The Braves are 10.5-point favorites in the latest Northern Iowa vs. Bradley odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 135. Before making any Bradley vs. Northern Iowa picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 17 of the season 76-46 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,600 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on UNI vs. Bradley and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Bradley vs. UNI:
- Northern Iowa vs. Bradley spread: Bradley -10.5
- Northern Iowa vs. Bradley over/under: 135 points
- Northern Iowa vs. Bradley money line: Northern Iowa +430, Bradley -600
- UNI: The Panthers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four neutral site games
- BRAD: The Braves are 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight games overall
- Northern Iowa vs. Bradley picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Bradley can cover
Junior guard Duke Deen has played well against Northern Iowa this season. In the first meeting in November, he poured in 18 points, dished out three assists and grabbed a pair of rebounds in a 68-53 win. In the second meeting on Feb. 4, he scored 11 points, while grabbing five rebounds and adding four assists in a 77-69 win. He has reached double-digit scoring 14 times this season, including 26 in a 79-50 win over Stonehill on Dec. 19.
Senior forward Ja'Shon Henry has been a valuable asset coming off the bench for the Braves. He has made just two starts in 25 games played, but averages 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Henry is connecting on 57.3% of his field goals. He has scored in double digits in 14 games, including a season-high 19 in a 93-59 win over Wisconsin-Parkside on Nov. 7.
Why Northern Iowa can cover
Sophomore guard Bowen Born leads the Panthers, and is coming off a 23-point and five-assist performance in Thursday's win over Illinois State. Coming into the tournament, Born was averaging 17.2 points, 2.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game in 30 starts. In two games against the Braves, Born scored 22 points in their Nov. 30 meeting, and finished with 11 points and four assists on Feb. 4. His best scoring output has been 30 points, which he has accomplished twice. The most recent time was Feb. 1 in an 88-81 double-overtime loss at Drake.
Also giving Northern Iowa a boost is sophomore Tytan Anderson. In 32 minutes against Illinois State on Thursday, he scored 16 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists. Leading up to the tournament, he had started all 30 games, averaging 12.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals. He has scored in double digits in six of the past seven games, including one double-double in that stretch -- a 12-point and 12-rebound performance in a 69-66 win at Missouri State on Feb. 18. He has registered 11 double-doubles this year.
How to make Northern Iowa vs. Bradley picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 137 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Northern Iowa vs. Bradley? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $1,600 on its college basketball picks this season, and find out.
