Northern Iowa vs. Evansville betting: College basketball preview for Jan. 4

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

The Evansville Purple Aces (4-11, 0-4 MVC) will attempt to break a six-game losing streak when they host the Northern Iowa Panthers (11-3, 3-0 MVC) on Sunday, January 4, 2026 at Ford Center as 5.5-point underdogs. The game airs at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The over/under for the matchup is 129.5.

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Spread

Northern Iowa Cover -5.5 vs Evansville -108

Bet $20, Payout $38.52

Northern Iowa vs. Evansville betting lines

  • Northern Iowa moneyline odds to win: -227
  • Evansville moneyline odds to win: +186
  • Spread: Northern Iowa (-5.5)
  • Total: 129.5

Northern Iowa statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • Northern Iowa covered the spread in a higher percentage of its home games than road games last season. Northern Iowa covered 12 times in 16 opportunities when playing at home, and it covered six times in 10 opportunities on the road.
  • The Panthers went over the total more consistently when playing at home last year, hitting the over in seven of 16 home matchups (43.8%). In away games, they hit the over in four of 10 games (40%).
  • Northern Iowa won a higher percentage of its games as a moneyline favorite at home last season, going 13-3 (.812). In road games as a moneyline favorite, it owned a record of 3-2 (.600).

Last season stats

  • Offensively, the Panthers were the 194th-ranked squad in the nation (73.3 points per game) last season. On defense, they were 50th (67.4 points conceded per game).
  • Northern Iowa was 300th in the country in rebounds per game (29.9) and 70th in rebounds allowed (29.5) last season.
  • The Panthers were 148th in the nation in assists (13.9 per game) last season.

Northern Iowa betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 6-6-0 (Home: 3-5-0; Away: 2-0-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 5.5+: 4-4-0 (As Favorite: 5-6-0; As Underdog: 1-0-0)
  • O-U-P: 3-9-0 (Home: 2-6-0; Away: 1-1-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 9-2 (Home: 7-1; Away: 1-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-0 (Home: 0-0; Away: 1-0)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
47.0 (107th in nation) 37.4 (sixth) 29.6 (315th) 32.5 (255th) 16.4 (80th) 8.9 (ninth)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Northern Iowa vs. Evansville? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Evansville statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • Against the spread, Evansville has an identical winning percentage (.600) at home (3-2-0 record) and away (3-2-0).
  • Both at home (three of five) and on the road (three of five), the Purple Aces’ games have finished over (in terms of the over/under) 60% of the time.
  • The Purple Aces’ winning percentage at home when moneyline underdogs is .000, both at home (0-2) and away (0-5).

Recent trends

  • The Purple Aces have played worse offensively in their last 10 games, compiling 65.0 points per contest, 2.8 fewer points their than season average of 67.8.
  • Evansville is allowing 75.6 points per contest over its past 10 games, compared to its season average of 73.1 points allowed.
  • In their previous 10 games, the Purple Aces are draining 7.4 treys per contest, 0.1 fewer threes than their season average (7.5). They own a higher three-point percentage over their last 10 contests (31.6%) compared to their season average (31.4%).

Evansville betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 7-6-0 (Home: 3-2-0; Away: 3-2-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 5.5+: 5-4-0 (As Favorite: 1-2-0; As Underdog: 6-4-0)
  • O-U-P: 7-6-0 (Home: 3-2-0; Away: 3-2-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 1-2 (Home: 1-2; Away: 0-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-9 (Home: 0-2; Away: 0-5)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
41.2 (332nd in nation) 43.9 (205th) 30.5 (283rd) 31.4 (201st) 13.1 (270th) 12.9 (290th)
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