Northern Iowa has demonstrated throughout the season that it’s capable of knocking off top teams. The Panthers put another notch on their belt with Friday’s first round win over Texas, to go along with victories over North Carolina, Iowa State and Wichita State. Add in that the Panthers have won 13 of their last 14 games and they could be a trendy pick to advance to the Sweet 16.
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HOW THE NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Forgive the Panthers if they feel as though they are never out of a game, because in reality, they aren’t. UNI advanced to the second round following a dramatic halfcourt buzzer-beater from Paul Jesperson that gave the Panthers a 75-72 win over Texas on Friday.
Northern Iowa got a chance at the Longhorns thanks to another last-second shot that knocked off Evansville for the Missouri Valley Conference championship. It was Wes Washpun who provided the excitement in that one.
Washpun knocked down a shot from the top of the key, getting a fortuitous bounce to defeat Evansville for the league’s automatic bid.
With only one player standing above 6-9, the Panthers will need to shoot consistently from the perimeter and limit turnovers in order to hang with a team of Texas AM’s speed and athleticism. Senior leaders Washpun, Jesperson and Matt Bohannon, who combined for 41 points against Texas, will have to be at their best.
HOW THE TEXAS AM AGGIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
For a team making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010, the Aggies appeared quite comfortable in the national spotlight – a position they expected to be in all along this season.
The Aggies didn’t let a loss to Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship game derail their aspirations of a lengthy run in the NCAA’s. Texas AM came on strong after trailing Green Bay by eight points early and methodically dismantled the Phoenix, 92-65, eliminating any chance of another upset.
It wasn’t the start the Aggies were looking for in Friday’s first round matchup with Green Bay, but the finish was what they needed. Once Texas AM settled down and took care of the basketball, their superior talent took over. The Aggies turned it over nine times in less than eight minutes at the outset.
Behind Danuel House, who scored 20 points, the Aggies shot 56.1 percent and placed five in double figures. They did turn the ball over 20 times with point guard Alex Caruso responsible for six. Taking better care of the basketball against the Panthers will be a priority.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Unlike many other high-seeds in the tournament, the Aggies escaped the first-round with a rather convincing win. But there is still room for improvement on that 27-point victory over Green Bay. AM was deadly shooting the basketball and outrebounded the Phoenix 38-20. On defense the Aggies limited Green Bay to 37.5 percent from the field and forced 18 turnovers. But the glaring stat is the 20 turnovers committed against a tenacious defense. Caruso especially struggled against the pressure, committing half a dozen turnovers on his own.
After winning its last two games with buzzer-beaters, Northern Iowa has to be feeling like a team of destiny. The Panthers have some quality wins this season and made a statement by knocking off Texas in the first round. They have quality senior leadership and serviceable depth, but they were inconsistent, as their 12 losses indicate. UNI also struggled from the perimeter during its rough start to conference play. That could be a problem for a team with little dependable interior scoring.
Texas AM 77, Northern Iowa 69
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Northern Iowa Panthers and Texas AM Aggies will go down Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 7:40 p.m. ET at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The matchup will be televised live on TBS.
