Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - MVC Tournament

The MVC conference tournament continues Friday as the No. 6 seed Northern Iowa Panthers (20-12, 11-9 MVC) face off against the No. 3 seed Illinois State Redbirds (20-11, 12-8 MVC) at Enterprise Center, tipping off at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Northern Iowa is a 2.5-point favorite to move one step closer to an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket. The matchup has an over/under of 125.5.

Last time out, Northern Iowa won on Thursday 68-59 against Evansville. Trey Campbell recorded 23 points, four rebounds and three assists for Northern Iowa. Illinois State is coming off of an 81-74 victory over Belmont in its last outing on Sunday. Johnny Kinziger's team-high 16 points paced Illinois State in the win.

Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State Odds and Game Time

• When: Friday, March 6, 2026 at 9:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri
• Spread favorite: Northern Iowa -2.5
• Over/Under: 125.5 points

How to watch Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State

• TV Channel: ESPN+
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State

• Northern Iowa and its opponents have combined to outscore Friday's over/under (125.5 points) 18 times this season.
• There have been 26 Illinois State games that ended with a combined score over 125.5 points this season.
• Together, the two teams combine for 145.2 points per game, 19.7 points more than the total of 125.5 for this game.
• This matchup's point total is 3.9 fewer points than the 129.4 these two teams combine to allow per game in 2024.
• Northern Iowa has a 130.3 average over/under in its games this season, 4.8 more points than the over/under in this contest.
• A difference of 18.6 points separates the average over/under in Illinois State's games (144.1 points) and this game's over/under (125.5).

Betting the Spread: Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State

• Northern Iowa has 15 wins against the spread in 30 games this season.
• The Panthers have an ATS record of 11-10 in their 21 games when favored by 2.5 points or more so far this season.
• Against the spread, Illinois State is 17-13-0 this year.
• This season, the Redbirds have an ATS record of 3-3 in their six games as an underdog of 2.5 points or more.
• Illinois State is 10-4 against the spread, and 12-2 overall, at home.
• This year, as a 2.5-point underdog or more at home, Illinois State is 9-4 ATS.
• Northern Iowa is 7-4 against the spread, and 6-5 overall, away from home.
• Northern Iowa is 4-0 ATS as 2.5-point favorites or more away from home.