The college hoops wagering menu features a clash between Northern Iowa and St. Mary's on Saturday, with the host Panthers trying to win and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

Northern Iowa battles the Gaels, currently sitting with a 8-2 mark (5-3 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 4-4 for the Panthers and 4-2 for the Gaels.



View St Marys vs Northern Iowa Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with Northern Iowa in this one found them as 2-point underdogs earlier in the day. Watch for line moves and updates at Sportsbook before gametime.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Panthers at No. 106 and the Gaels at No. 193 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 86-76 result in favor of the Gaels.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Northern Iowa's No. 144-ranked offense, averaging 69.5 PPG, against a Gaels defense that ranks No. 159 at 65.2 PPG. The Panthers field goal percentage has averaged 44.1% so far, less than the Gaels marksmen have achieved on the year, 50.8% per game.

Defensively, St. Mary's features the nation's No. 95-rated defense on the road, allowing 65.3 points per game. Northern Iowa, meanwhile, comes in at No. 117 nationally in scoring at home.

St. Mary's won its last outing, a 74-46 result against Pacific on December 19. They covered in that game as a 15.5-point favorite. The battle between the Gaels and Tigers didn’t turn out to be much of a battle at all as Pacific was handed a 74-46 defeat on Wednesday at McKeon Pavilion.

In their last action, Northern Iowa was a 73-59 loser on the road against UNLV. They failed to cover the 11-point spread as underdogs. Northern Iowa got 15 points from Marc Sonnen but lost anyway, 73-59, to UNLV on Wednesday at Thomas & Mack Center.


St. Mary's Gaels Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing Rhode Island are 1-0
After playing Pacific are 3-2
After a win are 8-2

Northern Iowa Panthers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Wichita State are 7-3
After playing UNLV are 1-0
After a loss are 5-5

A few Gaels at Panthers trends to consider:
St. Mary's is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Northern Iowa is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
Northern Iowa is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games


Next up:
St. Mary's home to Rhode Island, Thursday, December 27
Northern Iowa at Wichita State, Sunday, December 30