The Northern Iowa Panthers take on the Illinois State Redbirds in a 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup at 1 p.m. ET on Friday. Northern Iowa is favored by 7.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under is set at 145.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $1,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows Illinois State's defense is strong against 3-point shooters, ranking No. 2 in the Missouri Valley. The Redbirds are also in the top three of the conference in block rate and steal rate on defense, with Northern Iowa struggling on the offensive glass. On the opposite end, Illinois State is No. 3 in the conference in offensive rebound rate while making more than 36 percent of 3-point attempts. Northern Iowa is outside the top 300 in the country in 2-point defense, with opponents shooting 55.1 percent inside the arc.

The model also knows Northern Iowa is dynamic on offense. The Panthers lead the Missouri Valley in free-throw creation rate, and Northern Iowa is also making 82.4 percent of free-throw attempts, a top-10 mark in the country. Northern Iowa is turning the ball over on only 15.4 percent of attempts, No. 2 in the conference, and the Panthers are making 55.8 percent of 2-point attempts. Northern Iowa is also above-average from 3-point distance, making 36.4 percent of long-range attempts this season.

Now, it has set its sights on Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa. We can tell you the model is leaning Over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa spread you should be all over Friday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!