Last Updated on March 18, 2010 5:00 pm by drew
N. Iowa-UNLV Pick
The first game of the evening slate on Thursday is between Northern Iowa and UNLV, with that game tipping off at 7:10PM ET.
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This contest will be part of the Midwest Regional. The game will take place from the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. UNLV is the No. 8 seed and Northern Iowa is the No. 9 seed.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made UNLV 1-point favorites over Northern Iowa on Thursday evening. The over/under has been set at 114.
UNLV is making its 17th tournament appearance and third showing in four years. The Rebels are 25-8 this season and they finished 11-5 in the Mountain West Conference. UNLV averages 73.3 points per-game on offense, ranking 75th in the nation, and on defense, the Rebels give up 63.6 points per-game, which ranks 52nd. The Rebels have been led by Tre’Von Willis, who averages 17.3 points per-game. Chace Stanback adds 10.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per-game for the Rebels.
Northern Iowa is making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight showing. The Panthers are 28-4 on the year and finished 15-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, finishing as regular season and tournament champions. The Panthers are averaging just 63.1 points per-game on offense, which ranks 260th nationally, but NIU holds opponents to 54 points per-game, which is the second fewest in the country. The Panthers have been led this year by Jordan Eglseder, who averages 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per-game. Adam Koch has posted 11.8 points per-game while Kwadzo Ahelegbe posts 10.7 points per-game.
This should be a great game. The key to the pick comes down to UNLV’s ability to handle adversity, as the Panthers should cause the Rebels to struggle on offense more than they are used to. The more scoring in this game, the more it favors UNVL. We look for the Panthers to be able to dictate tempo and style of play in this game while the Rebels struggle with the physical play. We suggest a pick of Northern Iowa.
Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is: NORTHERN IOWA +1 and OVER 114
March Madness Betting Trends
Northern Iowa is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northern Iowa’s last 5 games
Northern Iowa is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
UNLV is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of UNLV’s last 10 games
March Madness Injury Report
UNLV
[G] 03/13/2010 – Derrick Jasper "?" Thursday vs.
[C] 11/13/2009 – Carlos Lopez expected to redshirt ( None )
NORTHERN IOWA
No Injuries Reported
March Madness Game Odds
UNLV Rebels -1 Over 114
Northern Iowa Panthers +1 Under 114
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Posted: 3/18/10 5:00PM ET