Iowa
Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State Predictions & Picks – Women's MVC Tournament
Friday’s game between the Northern Iowa Panthers (15-14) and Illinois State Redbirds (21-10) matching up at Vibrant Arena at the Mark has a projected final score of 73-70 (according to our computer prediction) in favor of Northern Iowa, who is listed as a slight favorite by our model. The game will begin at 3:30 PM ET on March 15.
The Panthers are coming off of a 67-46 victory over Evansville in their most recent outing on Saturday.
In their last matchup on Saturday, the Panthers secured a 67-46 win against Evansville. In their most recent game on Thursday, the Redbirds claimed an 85-64 win against Evansville. In the victory, Maya McDermott paced the Panthers with 17 points. Shannon Dowell scored a team-high 14 points for the Redbirds in the victory.
Watch live college basketball games from all over the country, plus ESPN originals and more NCAA hoops content on ESPN+!
Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State Game Info
- When: Friday, March 15, 2024 at 3:30 PM ET
- Where: Vibrant Arena at the Mark in Moline, Illinois
Catch college basketball action all season long on Fubo!
Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State Score Prediction
- Prediction:
Northern Iowa 73, Illinois State 70
Northern Iowa Schedule Analysis
- The Panthers’ signature victory of the season came against the Green Bay Phoenix, a top 50 team (No. 48), according to our computer rankings. The Panthers registered the 78-67 home win on November 6.
- Northern Iowa has tied for the 17th-most Quadrant 2 defeats in the country (six).
Get tickets for any college basketball game this season at Ticketmaster!
Northern Iowa 2023-24 Best Wins
- 78-67 at home over Green Bay (No. 48) on November 6
- 95-75 at home over Murray State (No. 95) on January 19
- 89-87 on the road over Murray State (No. 95) on February 17
- 74-47 at home over Illinois State (No. 114) on February 8
- 61-52 at home over UIC (No. 170) on March 2
Illinois State Schedule Analysis
- When the Redbirds took down the Drake Bulldogs, the No. 52 team in our computer rankings, by a score of 79-70 on January 27, it was their best win of the year so far.
- Illinois State has tied for the 30th-most Quadrant 2 losses in the nation (five).
Illinois State 2023-24 Best Wins
- 79-70 at home over Drake (No. 52) on January 27
- 88-77 at home over Northern Iowa (No. 82) on January 25
- 85-75 at home over Murray State (No. 95) on March 7
- 85-78 at home over Missouri State (No. 103) on January 14
- 87-81 at home over Saint Louis (No. 166) on December 19
Northern Iowa Leaders
- McDermott: 15.9 PTS, 1.1 STL, 43.3 FG%, 33.1 3PT% (47-for-142)
- Grace Boffeli: 15.3 PTS, 8.9 REB, 47.9 FG%, 28.6 3PT% (8-for-28)
- Kayba Laube: 9.6 PTS, 1.2 STL, 43.5 FG%, 42.5 3PT% (71-for-167)
- Ryley Goebel: 5.3 PTS, 1.5 STL, 1.5 BLK, 56.5 FG%
- Shateah Wetering: 6.4 PTS, 45 FG%, 33.3 3PT% (14-for-42)
Illinois State Leaders
- Kate Bullman: 7.6 PTS, 7.8 REB, 2 BLK, 38.7 FG%, 37.9 3PT% (36-for-95)
- Deanna Wilson: 14.8 PTS, 7.1 REB, 48 FG%, 23.1 3PT% (3-for-13)
- Maya Wong: 11.7 PTS, 47.7 FG%, 39.6 3PT% (38-for-96)
- Dowell: 9.2 PTS, 49.5 FG%, 33.3 3PT% (10-for-30)
- Abbie Aalsma: 7.5 PTS, 41.7 FG%, 37.4 3PT% (52-for-139)
Northern Iowa Performance Insights
- The Panthers outscore opponents by 3.5 points per game (scoring 73.2 points per game to rank 57th in college basketball while giving up 69.7 per contest to rank 290th in college basketball) and have a +103 scoring differential overall.
- Northern Iowa is tallying 77.7 points per game this season in conference contests, which is 4.5 more points per game than its overall average (73.2).
- The Panthers are putting up 74.8 points per game when playing at home. In road games, they are averaging 73.7 points per contest.
- Defensively, Northern Iowa has played better in home games this season, ceding 66.6 points per game, compared to 72.5 in road games.
- The Panthers’ offense has been better over their last 10 games, racking up 77.9 points per contest compared to the 73.2 they’ve averaged this year.
Illinois State Performance Insights
- The Redbirds have a +215 scoring differential, topping opponents by seven points per game. They’re putting up 74.7 points per game, 38th in college basketball, and are allowing 67.7 per contest to rank 255th in college basketball.
- Illinois State has averaged 3.5 fewer points in MVC play (71.2) than overall (74.7).
- In 2023-24 the Redbirds are scoring 14.1 more points per game at home (80.7) than away (66.6).
- In 2023-24 Illinois State is allowing 3.8 fewer points per game at home (66.2) than away (70).
- The Redbirds are posting 72.8 points per contest in their last 10 games, which is 1.9 fewer points than their average for the season (74.7).
Rep your team with officially licensed college basketball gear! Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, and much more.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer
Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.
Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.
Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.
The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.
Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.
Listen to the Blue-White Breakdown podcast
Iowa
Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor
Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.
Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.
Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.
“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”
Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.
Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.
Iowa
Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling
The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.
Drew Anderson (Riverside)
The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.
Urijah Courter (West Marshall)
Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.
Cooper Hinz (Jesup)
Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.
Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)
Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.
Mason Koehler (Glenwood)
The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.
Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)
Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.
Keaton Moeller (Starmont)
Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.
Iowa High School Premium Rankings
Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Business1 week agoGoogle is at last letting users swap out embarrassing Gmail addresses without losing their data
-
Southeast1 week agoTwo attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them
-
Politics1 week agoMost shocking examples of Chinese espionage uncovered by the US this year: ‘Just the tip of the iceberg’
-
News1 week agoRoads could remain slick, icy Saturday morning in Philadelphia area, tracking another storm on the way
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
News1 week agoMarijuana rescheduling would bring some immediate changes, but others will take time