Northern Iowa Basketball

It's not easy playing on the road in the Missouri Valley Conference and the Northern Iowa Panthers learned that the hard way, dropping their first game in over two months to the Wichita State Shockers, 51-60.

A rowdy, sell-out crowd of 10,506 people filled Charles Koch Arena and made sure 20th-ranked UNI (16-2, 7-1) knew just how hard it would be to drop the Shockers (17-3, 6-2) on their own court—who have now won 13 home games in a row.

With the Panthers' loss, visitors are now 13-24 in MVC play.

A win would have meant 16 straight victories for UNI—which would have been the nation's third-longest active win streak. It would have meant another school record ranking in the polls and a more comfortable grip on first place in the MVC standings.

It would have meant national respect.

The Panthers came into Wichita with the weight of the college basketball world on its shoulders. For just a moment, all eyes were on the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. The entire country wanted to know one thing:

Is this team—from a small school in Iowa, no less—for real?

Well, scoring a season first half-low of 17 points, shooting 2-of-13 from three-point range and getting out-defended when the Panthers are supposed to be one of the top defensive teams in the conference does not bode well for maintaining a national spotlight on little ol' Cedar Falls, IA.

Are these Panthers super human? Did the team that came to play tonight look like a squad that can hold up against the country's elite programs in postseason play? No—it would be foolish to argue they did.

But let me tell you something, this team still has its heart.

Being originally from the general area of Cedar Falls, myself, I can attest to the fact that there's something special about small town colleges and their surrounding communities. This team will return home to a fan base that still believes in them and is ready to support them. That can be powerful motivation, knowing your fans—your family—is still there for you.

The Panthers will be back. They're still a game up on the Shockers with a home rematch scheduled for Feb. 3 at the McLeod Center.

Oh, yeah...they'll be back.

As for the Shockers, this is a team that has been left out of the NCAA discussion—a team that defeated Texas Tech and played a hard-fought game against now ninth-ranked Pitt.

Don't be too surprised if Wichita State stays hot down the stretch and finds a way into March Madness action.

The MVC may be down this year but its top two teams are no slouches—as proven by tonight's game. Are they at the level of college basketball's elite programs? Not a chance.

However, we all know too well that strange, sometimes miraculous, things happen in this sport.

That is, after all, what makes it so interesting to watch.

1. Northern Iowa Panthers (1)

Record: 16-1, 7-0 MVC

RPI: 17

Northern Iowa beat Bradley and Indiana State this week to remain undefeated in conference play.

Key Wins: Boston College (Neutral), Siena (Home), Missouri State (Home)

Key Losses: Depaul (Neutral)

2. Butler Bulldogs (2)

Record: 14-4, 7-0 Horizon

RPI: 19

Butler won at Detroit and then came home to beat Cleveland State and Youngstown State. The Bulldogs are still undefeated in conference play.

Key Wins: Northwestern (Road), Ohio State (Home), Xavier (Home)

Key Losses: Minnesota (Neutral)

3. Gonzaga Bulldogs (3)

Record: 14-3, 3-0 WCC

RPI: 14

Gonzaga beat St. Mary's and San Diego this week, improving to 3-0 in conference play.

Key Wins: Cincinnati (Neutral), Wisconsin (Neutral), Illinois (Road), St. Mary's (Road)

Key Losses: Wake Forest (Home)

4. Siena Saints (4)

Record: 14-4, 7-0 MAAC

RPI: 40

Siena beat Canisius and Fairfield this week. With the win over Fairfield, they now have a two game lead in first place.

Key Wins: Northeastern (Home), Fairfield (Road)

Key Losses: Temple (Road), Northern Iowa (Road)

5. Old Dominion Monarchs (5)

Record: 14-5, 5-1 CAA

RPI: 36

Old Dominion beat UNC Wilmington and Drexel. The Monarchs have won five straight games and eight out of their last nine.

Key Wins: Marshall (Home), Georgetown (Road)

Key Losses: Richmond (Road), George Mason (Road)

6. St. Mary's Gaels (6)

Record: 16-3, 3-1 WCC

RPI: 38

St. Mary's beat Portland following a loss to Gonzaga.

Key Wins: Utah State (Road), San Diego State (Home)

Key Losses: Vanderbilt (Home), Gonzaga (Home)

7. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7)

Record: 11-5, 4-1 Sun Belt

RPI: 55

Western Kentucky beat Florida Atlantic and Florida International after losing at Denver.

Key Wins: Murray State (Home), Mississippi State (Home)

Key Losses: Indiana State (Home), South Carolina (Road), Denver (Road)

8. Illinois State Redbirds (10)

Record: 13-4, 4-2 MVC

RPI: 98

Illinois State beat Evansville in their one game this week.

Key Wins: Saint Bonaventure (Home), Wichita State (Home)

Key Losses: Ohio (Road)

9. Murray State Racers (11)

Record: 16-3, 8-0 OVC

RPI: 79

Murray State beat Eastern Illinois, Jacksonville State, and Tennessee Tech. The Racers are unbeaten in conference play.

Key Wins: Eastern Kentucky (Home)

Key Losses: Louisiana Tech (Road)

10. Portland Pilots (9)

Record: 10-7, 1-2 WCC

RPI: 82

After beating San Diego, Portland lost to St. Mary's.

Key Wins: Minnesota (Neutral)

Key Losses: Portland State (Home), Idaho (Road)

11. Cornell Big Red (13)

Record: 15-3, 1-0 Ivy

RPI: 31

Cornell beat Columbia in the Ivy League opener.

Key Wins: Alabama (Road)

Key Losses: None

12. Virginia Commonwealth (12)

Record: 12-4, 4-3 CAA

RPI: 47

VCU beat Hofstra and Georgia State on the road. After losing back to back games earlier in January, the Rams have won three straight.

Key Wins: Oklahoma (Home), Richmond (Home)

Key Losses: Western Michigan (Road), Drexel (Road)

13. Harvard Crimson (14)

Record: 12-3, 1-0 Ivy

RPI: 53

Harvard did not play this week.

Key Wins: William & Mary (Home), Boston College (Road)

Key Losses: Army (Road)

14. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (17)

Record: 17-2, 5-0 WAC

RPI: 61

Louisiana Tech beat Boise State and Fresno State to stay unbeaten in the WAC.

Key Wins: Murray State (Home), Houston (Road)

Key Losses: Arizona (Road)

15. Wichita State Shockers (15)

Record: 16-3, 5-2 MVC

RPI: 52

Wichita State lost to Creighton on Saturday to end a five game winning streak. The Shockers are yet to lose on their home floor (11-0).

Key Wins: Texas Tech (Home), Missouri State (Road)

Key Losses: Pitt (Neutral), Creighton (Road)

16. William & Mary Tribe (18)

Record: 14-3, 6-1 CAA

RPI: 26

William & Mary responded from a small setback when they lost to UNC Wilmington and almost lost to Delaware with wins over Drexel, James Madison, and Hofstra.

Key Wins: Wake Forest (Road), VCU (Home), Maryland (Road)

Key Losses: UNC Wilmington (Home)

17. Akron Zips (22)

Record: 12-4, 2-0 MAC

RPI: 132

Akron won at Ohio in their only game this week.

Key Wins: Niagara (Home)

Key Losses: Austin Peay (Home)

18. Western Carolina Catamounts (20)

Record: 14-3, 4-1 SoCon

RPI: 59

Western Carolina beat UNC Greensboro and Elon to respond to their loss at Georgia Southern.

Key Wins: Louisville (Road)

Key Losses: Clemson (Road), Georgia Southern (Road)

19. Missouri State Bears (8)

Record: 13-5, 3-4 MVC

RPI: 63

Missouri State lost both their games this week to Drake and Bradley.

Key Wins: Auburn (Home), Tulsa (Home), Illinois State (Home)

Key Losses: Arkansas (Road), Drake (Road), Bradley (Road)

20. Northern Colorado Bears (16)

Record: 16-4, 5-2 Big Sky

RPI: 87

Northern Colorado beat Eastern Washington after losing to Portland State.

Key Wins: Montana (Road)

Key Losses: Montana State (Road), Portland State (Road)

21. Green Bay Phoenix (Not Ranked)

Record: 13-6, 6-2 Horizon

RPI: 101

Green Bay beat Wright State and Detroit this week to reenter the Top 25.

Key Wins: Wisconsin (Home), Wright State (Home), Detroit (Home)

Key Losses: Oakland (Road), Buffalo (Home), Milwaukee (Road)

22. Fairfield Stags (Not Ranked)

Record: 12-5, 5-2 MAAC

RPI: 117

Fairfield lost to Siena after beating Manhattan. Losses by Niagara, South Alabama, and Wright State enabled them to enter the Top 25.

Key Wins: St. Peter's (Road), Sacred Heart (Home)

Key Losses: Niagara (Road)

23. Morgan State Bears (25)

Record: 11-7, 4-0 MEAC

RPI: 136

Morgan State beat South Carolina State despite Reggie Holmes not hitting a field goal.

Key Wins: Arkansas (Road)

Key Losses: Appalachian State (Road), Loyola Maryland (Road), Robert Morris (Road)

24. George Mason Patriots (Not Ranked)

Record: 11-7, 6-1 CAA

RPI: 118

George Mason has won five out of their last six after beating Georgia State and James Madison this week.

Key Wins: Indiana (Neutral), ODU (Home)

Key Losses: Tulane (Road), Radford (Road)

25. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (21)

Record: 17-3, 7-1 Big South

RPI: 171

Coastal Carolina lost to Radford, but then beat High Point to keep a spot in the Top 25.

Key Wins: College of Charleston (Home), Indiana State (Neutral)

Key Losses: Cal State Northridge (Neutral), Radford (Home)

Teams By Conference:

CAA: 4

MVC: 4

WCC: 3

Horizon: 2

Ivy: 2

MAAC: 2

Big Sky: 1

Big South: 1

MAC: 1

MEAC: 1

OVC: 1

SoCon: 1

Sun Belt: 1

WAC: 1

Added: Fairfield, Green Bay, George Mason

Dropped: Niagara, South Alabama, Wright State

Considered (Alphabetical): Creighton, Detroit, Iona, Morehead State, Northeastern, Sam Houston State, San Antonio, Wright State

There were not too many changes in the rankings this week because few games were played due to the holidays.

Rank Team (Rank Last Week)

1. Northern Iowa Panthers (2)

Record: 9-1

RPI: 35

Northern Iowa crushed Wyoming on Wednesday, improving their record to 9-1. With Butler's loss to UAB, they take the No. 1 spot.

Key Wins: Boston College (Neutral), Iowa State (Road), Siena (Home)

Key Losses: Depaul (Neutral)

2. Butler Bulldogs (1)

Record: 8-4, 1-0 Horizon

RPI: 21

Butler picked up their fourth loss of the season at UAB on Tuesday. 

Key Wins: Northwestern (Road), Ohio State (Home), Xavier (Home)

Key Losses: Clemson (Neutral)

3. Virginia Commonwealth Rams (3)

Record: 7-2, 0-1 CAA

RPI: 9

Virginia Commonwealth did not play this week, but their RPI still jumped into the Top 10. They play East Carolina on December 29 for their final non-conference game.

Key Wins: Oklahoma (Home), Nevada (Home), Richmond (Home)

Key Losses: Western Michigan (Road)

4. Old Dominion Monarchs (5)

Record: 8-4, 1-0 CAA

RPI: 37

Old Dominion destroyed Charlotte in their lone game this week, 81-48. This was only Charlotte's second loss of the season.

Key Wins: Marshall (Home), Georgetown (Road)

Key Losses: Richmond (Road)

5. Gonzaga Bulldogs (4)

Record: 8-3

RPI: 29

Gonzaga did not play this week. They play a must win game against Oklahoma on New Year's Eve.

Key Wins: Cincinnati (Neutral), Wisconsin (Neutral)

Key Losses: Wake Forest (Home)

6. Siena Saints (6)

Record: 7-4, 2-0 MAAC

RPI: 52

The Saints beat Rider 84-62 this week. Once again, it looks like it will be hard to beat Siena in the Times Union Center; they are 4-0 at home and three of their wins have come in blowouts.

Key Wins: Northeastern (Home), Rider (Home)

Key Losses: Temple (Road), Northern Iowa (Road)

7. Illinois State Redbirds (7)

Record: 9-2

RPI: 152

Illinois State beat Grambling State, 80-56, on December 22. They start conference play against Wichita State this upcoming Tuesday.

Key Wins: Saint Bonaventure (Home)

Key Losses: Ohio (Road)

8. Morgan State Bears (9)

Record: 7-4, 1-0 MEAC

RPI: 97

Morgan State beat Towson for their third win in their last four games. With Missouri State's loss, the Bears are moved to No. 8.

Key Wins: Arkansas (Road)

Key Losses: Appalachian State (Road, Loyola Maryland (Road)

9. Missouri State Bears (8)

Record: 10-1

RPI: 42

Missouri State picked up their first loss of the year in overtime to Arkansas. Their RPI dropped, but everybody still knows that they are one of the elite in the MVC.

Key Wins: Auburn (Home), Tulsa (Home)

Key Losses: Arkansas (Road)

10. Portland Pilots (10)

Record: 7-4

RPI: 58

Portland got their revenge on Idaho, who beat them in early December, on Tuesday with an 82-52 win.

Key Wins: Minnesota (Neutral)

Key Losses: Portland State (Home), Idaho (Road)

11. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (13)

Record: 6-4

RPI: 40

The Hilltoppers beat Murray State this week. Saint Mary's loss to USC allowed WKU to move up two spots in the rankings, passing the Gaels and the Racers.

Key Wins: Murray State (Home)

Key Losses: Indiana State (Home), South Carolina (Road)

12. Saint Mary's Gaels (12)

Record: 11-2

RPI: 27

The Gaels played in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii this past week. They beat Northeastern and Hawaii, but lost to USC, giving them a third place finish in the tournament.

Key Wins: Utah State (Road), San Diego State (Home)

Key Losses: Vanderbilt (Home)

13. Murray State Racers (11)

Record: 9-3, 2-0 OVC

RPI: 81

Murray State fell to Western Kentucky this week. That is their second loss in their last three games, both of them on the road. 

Key Wins: Eastern Kentucky (Home)

Key Losses: Louisiana Tech (Road)

14. Cornell Big Red (15)

Record: 7-2

RPI: 19

Cornell picked up a Holiday Festival Championship this week with wins over Davidson and Saint John's. 

Key Wins: Alabama (Road), Saint Joe's (Home)

Key Losses: None

15. George Mason Patriots (14)

Record: 6-5, 1-0 CAA

RPI: 134

George Mason won a thriller against VMI, 89-86. They play a must-win against Radford on Wednesday. A loss could push them out of the Top 20.

Key Wins: Indiana (Neutral), Creighton (Home)

Key Losses: George Washington (Road)

16. Wichita State Shockers (19)

Record: 11-1

RPI: 102

Wichita State remains beaten only once by Pitt. They have had few games against top competition, but in their one test against the Top 25, they beat Texas Tech.

Key Wins: Iowa (Neutral), Texas Tech (Home)

Key Losses: Pitt (Netural)

17. Western Carolina Catamounts (17)

Record: 10-2, 2-0 SoCon

RPI: 17

Western Carolina picked up their second loss of the season against Clemson, 79-57.

Key Wins: Bradley (Road), Louisville (Road)

Key Losses: Clemson (Road)

18. Harvard Crimson (16)

Record: 7-3

RPI: 31

Harvard lost to George town this week, 86-70. The Crimson still play four more non-conference games before entering Ivy League play.

Key Wins: William & Mary (Home), Boston College (Road)

Key Losses: Army (Road)

19. Niagara Purple Eagles (18)

Record: 8-4, 2-0 MAAC

RPI: 76

Niagara beat New York competitor Saint Bonaventure 77-71 on Tuesday. As of now, it looks like the Purple Eagles are the favorite to win a MAAC title. 

Key Wins: UCF (Neutral), Illinois State (Road)

Key Losses: Austin Peay (Road), Buffalo (Home)

20. Northern Colorado Bears (20)

Record: 10-3, 1-1 Big Sky

RPI: 91

Northern Colorado demolished San Jose State this week for their 10th win of the season.

Key Wins: Montana (Road)

Key Losses: Montana State (Road), Wyoming (Road)

21. William & Mary Tribe (24)

Record: 8-2, 1-0 CAA

RPI: 7

William and Mary beat Radford for their eighth straight win. After losing their first two games of the season, they have not lost once.

Key Wins: Wake Forest (Road), VCU (Home), Harvard (Road)

Key Losses: None

22. Wright State Raiders (22)

Record: 8-4, 2-0 Horizon

RPI: 136

Wright State beat Arkansas-Little Rock, 69-47.

Key Wins: Belmont (Neutral)

Key Losses: Northeastern (Road), Miami Ohio (Road)

23. South Alabama Jaguars (Not Ranked)

Record: 9-4, 1-0 Sun Belt

RPI: 139

South Alabama is one of two new teams in the rankings this week. They snuck in with a shocking, one point victory over No. 18 Florida. 

Key Wins: Arkansas (Road), Florida (Road)

Key Losses: Rice (Road)

24. Rider Broncs (21)

Record: 8-6, 1-1 MAAC

RPI: 144

Rider picked up their first conference loss at Siena. The Broncs one really good win remains against Mississippi State. Although the Broncs stacked up their schedule, it is hurting them by not showing in their RPI.

Key Wins: Mississippi State (Road), Saint Joe's (Road)

Key Losses: Sam Houston State (Neutral), La Salle (Home), Rutgers (Road)

25. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Not Ranked)

Record: 10-2, 2-0 Big South

RPI: 84

Coastal Carolina is the other of two previously unranked teams entering the rankings this week. Their only losses are to Duke and Cal State Northridge. They have beaten some other quality mid-majors, but have not had enough play against great competition to tell if they are the real deal. They have an edge on some other schools with their nickname, "The Chancticleers," defined as "a name given to a rooster, especially in fairy tales."

Key Wins: College Of Charleston (Home), Indiana State (Neutral)

Key Losses: Cal State Northridge (Neutral)

Teams By Conference:

CAA: 4

MVC: 4

MAAC: 3

WCC: 3

Horizon: 2

IVY: 2

Sun Belt: 2

Big Sky: 1

Big South: 1

MEAC: 1

OVC: 1

SoCon: 1

Added: South Alabama, Coastal Carolina

Dropped: Hofstra, Green Bay

Hofstra came in last in the Holiday Festival with losses to Saint John's and Davidson.

Green Bay lost to Buffalo this week and continues to loss after upsetting Wisconsin.

Considered: Iona, Hofstra, Ohio, Louisiana Tech, Montana, Sam Houston State, Army

Mid Major To Watch—Lipscomb Bisons

The Bisons have the talent to win the Atlantic Sun this year and maybe give a good team a scare in March. Adnan Hodzic averages 23 points and eight rebounds, with Josh Slater, Brandon Brown, and Jordan Burgason all averaging in double digits. This week, they were literally seconds away from upsetting Arizona, but a Nic Wise prayer was answered as the ball left his fingertips with .1 seconds left. The Bisons' record stands at 4-7, but it is deceiving as they have made plenty of good teams like Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Cincinatti, and Arizona.

How’s this for a headline? A team that was voted to finish sixth in the preseason poll by coaches in the conference is currently two full games ahead of second place, with an 11-2 choke hold over conference foes.

This team, projected to pass up what could be a successful season for a borderline .500 finish, is surprisingly 17-7 and has won eleven of its past twelve games in one of the toughest mid-major leagues in the nation.

So what is their secret? How do they do it? The answer for the Panthers hasn’t been outscoring, outrebounding, or outdefending opponents, it has simply been outshooting them.

The success of the Panthers, like many other bracket busters, has been a result of taking every possession for granted and making sure to get the most of each one.

And we know this because they lead the conference in both field goal percentage (46.0%) and points per shot (1.36).

They take very good care of the ball (something every bracket buster needs to do) and although their defense can be lacking at times, offensive efficiency and free throw shooting make up for it.

But surprisingly enough, despite the Panthers’ self proclaimed successful offensive sets, nobody scores over 12 points per game, a sign that this team has some serious chemistry.

The 6'8" junior Adam Koch who didn’t even receive honorable mention in the preseason polls, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, at 12 and 5.1 per game, while also serving as an emotional leader for a team that only has one senior.

He is their go-to-guy in the critical minutes of games and shoots a remarkable 80.1 percent from the strike, something very few 6'8" 245 big men can claim.

It’s not like this team has had many disappointing losses either.

That one point loss to Indiana State in double overtime may not have been the result that they wanted, but the rest of their losses (with the exception of Illinois-Chicago) were to well established basketball programs in major programs.

And they can even brag about a six point win over Auburn, a game in which they shot 53.7 percent from the field and a stunning 8-17 from downtown. 

However, like most other mid-major programs, anything short of a conference championship would put an NCAA tournament bid in serious jeopardy. Yes, the Missouri Valley has a chance at being a two-bid league, but not if they continue to beat each other up. 

The Panthers essentially must dominate conference play from here and get that win over Siena in bracket busters weekend if they wish to lock up a bid without winning the conference. 

And a game at Illinois State on Feb. 24 will certainly be a big test as they will need to prove to the selection committee that they are capable of winning under all conditions.

But enough with the speculative future of the Panthers. February is about enjoying where a team is now without having to worry about what lies ahead (which in many cases is self-destruction). 

Northern Iowa has established itself as a premier program in the Missouri Valley Conference and will return every single one of their significant players next season to a team that could see a top-25 spot.

We, the bracketbuster fans, forgive your most recent home loss to the 19-6 Creighton Bluejays; it was an off night from downtown. If Adam Koch can put up more performances similar to that (23 and 12, 13-13 from FT), then there should be no problem against the rest of the conference, right?

Please Northern Iowa, just don’t shoot yourselves in the foot come tournament time because a Sweet 16 run is definitely possible. Keep your eyes open for this team in March.

This article is also featured on www.thebracketbusters.com.

Southern Illinois (11-13, 6-7) at Northern Iowa (17-7, 11-7)

Line: Northern Iowa -6.5

Southern Illinois gained a road victory 72-64 on Saturday, but beating Missouri State is nothing much to brag about. A much tougher task awaits in league leading Northern Iowa. At 6-7 in conference, the Salukis find themselves on the lower end of the main pack in the conference standings.

Northern Iowa dropped their second conference game on Sunday to Creighton 71-77. The Panthers shot just 18-62 (29 percent) from the field in a horrible performance. With a two-game lead in the Missouri Valley, Northern Iowa can afford the slip up.

ATS-

Southern Illinois is 12-11 against the spread including 6-6 on the road.

Northern Iowa is 10-10 against the spread including 4-5 at home.

Northern Iowa is 6-3-1 against the spread in their last 10 matchups with Southern Illinois.

 

See the rest of the article including Dave's free prediction at cbbplace.com

 

Creighton (18-6, 8-4) at Northern Iowa (17-6, 11-1)

Line: Northern Iowa -2

Creighton won their third game in a row on Wednesday at Drake 79-68. The Bluejays shot 50 percent from the field and were led by Booker Woodfox with 23 points. The Bluejays currently sit tied for second place in the conference, three games behind their opponents for Sunday.

It was business as usual for Northern Iowa on Wednesday as they defeated Bradley 61-58. Although the majority of their victories have been tight ones, the Panthers have just the one loss to cellar dweller Indiana State back on Dec. 28 and enjoy a three-game conference lead.

ATS

Creighton is 12-8 against the spread, including 7-3 on the road.

Creighton is 8-2 against the spread against Northern Iowa in their last 10 matchups.

Northern Iowa is 10-9 against the spread, including 4-4 at home.

Although their games have been close, Northern Iowa has found a way at the end of the ball game. Not sure they need to do so here, but I feel good about them finishing tough.  

Dave’s Pick: Northern Iowa -2

See all of Dave's College Basketball Picks Against the Spread at cbbplace.com.

Northern Iowa (16-6, 10-1) at Bradley (13-9, 7-4)

Line: Bradley -2

Northern Iowa is coming off a less than impressive four-point victory against Indiana State. You can be sure the rest of the league will be watching film to see how Indiana State was able to cause so much trouble for the Panthers. Northern Iowa has won three out of its last four games by five points or less, one of those being at home against Bradley back on the 21st.

Bradley fell out of second place in the conference with a 65-69 defeat at Illinois State. No disgrace in losing to the Redbirds on the road. Winners of their last two home games, the Braves will need improved shooting to get it done against the league leader.

ATS

Northern Iowa is 9-9 ATS, including 5-5 on the road.

Bradley is 11-7 ATS, including 6-3 at home.

Bradley is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 matchups against Northern Iowa.

Northern Iowa has been just good enough to get by lately. That may work against Indiana State, but Bradley should be able to close the deal. The Panthers are due another conference hiccup, and this may be the spot.

Dave’s Pick: Bradley -2

See all of Dave's College Basketball Picks Against the Spread at cbbplace.com.

The great racing gem of the Midwest is not Chicagoland, and its not Kansas Speedway, and not Knoxville Raceway. It's the Iowa Speedway. It lays in the middle of the great Iowa corn fields in Newton. The 7/8thof a mile Track was designed by NASCAR's Rusty Wallace. The track features 3 lanes of progressive banking in the turns from 12 degrees on the low lane to 13 in the middle and 14 on the high lane. The track also opens up into a 1.3 mile road course. The Rusty Wallace track dubbed "America's Place to Race" was built in in early 2006. The grandstands to date hold 40,000 people, with the capacity to build more stands around the turns anddown the back stretch. Rusty built this track with one of NASCAR's current stops on the racing schedule in mind, Richmond.

I myself have been to Iowa speedway 5 times, and each time is a unique experience, the racing is never dull never boring, and many of times produces close finishes. And for the record there is not a bad seat in the house.

Many of NASCAR's current stars have been to the racetrack and have given it high praises. The past two years the winner of the Allstar Race (Harvick & Khane) have appeared the next day at Iowa to compete in the Camping World tour Series. On Sunday July 20 both Matt Kenseth and Kyle Rowdy Busch will make their Iowa Speedway debut in the The Rasmussen Group Twin 75’s ASA Midwest Tour Super Late Model Series. one of NASCAR's top owners, Richard Childress, Told the Des Moines Register that he was committed to getting a Nationwide and  Craftsman truck race to the speedway, while Iowa was left out of NASCAR's Schedule for 2008, the Iowa Speedway will be given long hard consideration for '09. The Speedways biggest argument is being the 2nd largest attended Indy Car Series race. Second only to the Indianapolis 500.

I don't know if Iowa will ever lay host to a Sprint Cup Date, but I would not be surprised to see "Rusty's Place: A Great American Place to Race, AKA Iowa Speedway."  on the Nationwide or Truck Schedule for '09 and beyond. So if your ever in the area, come on by to Newton, Iowa and have a look for yourself.

for further info on the IOWA SPEEDWAY please see www.iowaspeedway.com