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N. Iowa Panthers @ Wash. State Cougars

Current Records: N. Iowa 7-4, Wash. State 9-3

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N. Iowa has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They and the Wash. State Cougars will compete for holiday cheer at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Orleans Arena. The Panthers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 78.9 points per game this season.

N. Iowa is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Montana, posting a 104-76 victory. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 19 points or more this season.

Leon Bond III had a dynamite game for N. Iowa, going 12 for 15 en route to 37 points plus two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Hutson, who went 11 for 15 en route to 24 points.

N. Iowa was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Montana only posted ten.

Meanwhile, Wash. State unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Wednesday. The contest between them and Washington wasn't particularly close, with Wash. State falling 89-73.

Despite their loss, Wash. State saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Ethan Price, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Nate Calmese, who had 21 points in addition to five rebounds.

N. Iowa pushed their record up to 7-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Wash. State, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-3.

Saturday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: N. Iowa just can't miss this season, having drained 53.3% of their field goals per game (they're ranked first in field goal percentage overall). However, it's not like Wash. State struggles in that department as they've nailed 48.3% of theirs this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

N. Iowa is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last four times they've played.

Odds

Wash. State is a 3.5-point favorite against N. Iowa, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 3.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 149 points.

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Series History

N. Iowa won the only game these two teams have played in the last 9 years.

  • Dec 23, 2015 - N. Iowa 63 vs. Wash. State 59