Northern Iowa Panthers Open as College Basketball Underdog vs Drake Bulldogs

College hoops betting interest focuses on the Northern Iowa Panthers vs Drake Bulldogs battle Saturday at Knapp Center as the Bulldogs look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

If you were backing the Northern Iowa Panthers in this one, their betting line was listed as 2.5-point underdogs earlier in the day at Sportsbook.

Northern Iowa Panthers vs Drake Bulldogs Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

The Drake Bulldogs sport a record of 13-13 and 13-9-1 ATS heading into this betting matchup, while the Northern Iowa Panthers have 12-13 and 8-12-1 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 13-10 for the Drake Bulldogs and 10-11 for the Northern Iowa Panthers.

According to new college basketball power rankings here at Odds Shark, it's the No. 171-ranked Drake Bulldogs and the No. 231-rated Northern Iowa Panthers in this matchup.

Statistical Matchup

Scoring and defensive stats point to some betting edges in this matchup. The game features Drake's No. 148-ranked scoring average of 73.85 PPG, against a Northern Iowa Panthers defense rated No. 9 and allowing 63.04 PPG. The Drake Bulldogs FG% has averaged 44.46% to date this season, more than the Northern Iowa Panthers shooters have managed so far (42.02% per game).