The Northern Iowa Panthers take on the UIC Flames in Chicago, Illinois. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET on MARQ.
Northern Iowa is favored by -4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. The total is set at 134.5 points.
Here’s my Northern Iowa vs. UIC prediction and college basketball picks for December 17, 2025.
Northern Iowa vs UIC Prediction
My Pick: Northern Iowa -4.5
My Northern Iowa vs UIC best bet is on the Panthers to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Northern Iowa vs. UIC Odds
| Northern Iowa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 134.5 -110 / -110 | -205 |
| UIC Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 134.5 -110 / -110 | +170 |
- Northern Iowa vs UIC spread: Northern Iowa -4.5
- Northern Iowa vs UIC over/under: 134.5 points
- Northern Iowa vs UIC moneyline: Northern Iowa -205, UIC +170
Northern Iowa vs UIC College Basketball Betting Preview
Northern Iowa Basketball
The Panthers are off to a brilliant start, sitting 9-2 with their two losses coming to Tulsa and Wichita State by a combined seven points.
Northern Iowa is one of the nation's top defenses, ranking 26th in defensive efficiency. The Panthers also play at the 14th-slowest tempo, so expect some real rock fights in these games.
They turn teams over at a 21% clip, while limiting teams to 46% shooting from 2 (41st nationally) and 28% from 3 (23rd nationally). Only one team scored over 70 points on the Panthers all season, and Wichita State needed overtime to do it.
Trey Campbell is the head of the snake for Northern Iowa's suffocating defense. He's a veteran guard with over 106 starts in four seasons. Campbell secures over two steals per contest and is also shooting 36% from downtown.
The Panthers' offense is a bit of a mess, though. They rank 198th nationally in KenPom's offensive efficiency and don't have a clear strong suit on that end of the floor.
They shoot 53% from inside the arc (144th) and 34.1% from deep (153rd). The bigger issue is that the Panthers don't crash the offensive glass at all, ranking 362nd in offensive rebounding, and they rarely get to the foul line.
Northern Iowa has a pair of strong interior scoring threats in Will Hornseth and Tristan Smith.
Hornseth is the perfect Northern Iowa big. He can pass and score inside using an array of moves. Smith has been a perfect piece to the puzzle with his rebounding and scoring next to Hornseth.
The best player on the floor will be Leon Bond III. The former Virginia wing leads the Panthers with 15 points per game on 51% shooting and 46% from downtown.
UIC Basketball
Entering this game against the best team in the Missouri Valley, UIC is in the middle of a brutal four-game stretch.
The Flames have dropped four straight games, including a home loss to KenPom's No. 346th-ranked team, Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They also lost by 14 to Robert Morris and Yale before losing a tight one to Belmont in Nashville.
In the Belmont game, UIC went 13-for-32 from deep. That was the difference, but that seems to be the outlier, as UIC is shooting 29% from 3 this season. Josiah Hammons connected on eight of his 13 3s in that game, scoring 31.
I'm not buying that performance.
UIC will need Hammons, Andy Johnson and Ahmad Henderson II to play well to beat (or cover) Northern Iowa. All three are shooting below 40% from the field, which is a major reason why UIC ranks 178th nationally in offensive efficiency.
The Flames' defense is even worse, ranking 221st in defensive efficiency. The only positive for the UIC defense is its 19% turnover rate. Opponents have shot 53% from inside the arc (213th) and 33.1% from deep (171st).
Here's the biggest issue for UIC: The few things it does well are things that Northern Iowa can shut down.
The Flames force turnovers, but Northern Iowa doesn't turn it over. The Flames are a strong offensive rebound team, but Northern Iowa doesn't allow offensive rebounds.
Good luck overcoming those issues.
Northern Iowa vs. UIC Betting Analysis
I feel like UIC is overrated.
Sitting at 188th nationally in KenPom is a tad too rich for my blood. The Flames look more like a team outside the top 200 with their issues on both ends of the floor.
Scoring will be a real issue against this stout Northern Iowa defense, given the UIC guards' inefficiency.
I see the Panthers covering on the road.
My Pick: Northern Iowa -4.5
