The Panthers will play the Redbirds on Friday, March 6th, 2026. Your timezone's tip off time is 9:30 pm EST. Check local listings or your nearest streaming app for coverage.
Review our College Basketball Betting guide to learn how to bet this game.
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Table of Contents
- Matchup Stats
- Moneyline Mage
- Best Odds
- Interactive Odds Example
- Prop Bets
- Team Standings
- Futures Odds
- Team Pages
- Other Games Today
Key Matchup Stats
The 2025-26 college basketball postseason has arrived. With tournament action on the docket, Northern Iowa and Illinois State are set to tip-off on Friday, March 6th, 2026. Here's your chance to partake in March Madness! The end of the regular season has left us with solid trends for each team. Use the following performance insights and stats to handicap what promises to be an exciting matchup.
- SportsBetting3.com Power Rankings - Northern Iowa wound up with a 98.33 SportsBetting3.com conference power ranking for the 2025-26 college basketball regular season, while Illinois State finished with a 99.00 power ranking.
- Away Records - Tournament games are typically played at neutral venues, which means both teams are away from their home courts. Northern Iowa comes to this matchup with a 6-6 record as an away team, ranking them 3rd in the Missouri Valley Conference for away team wins. Their opponent, Illinois State, finished the regular season with a 5-7 record as an away team, ranking them 4th in the Missouri Valley Conference for away team wins.
- Conference Win Percentage - Northern Iowa finished 4th (0.550) in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Illinois State ending up 3rd (0.600) for their conference win percentage in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference.
- Overall Win Percentage - Northern Iowa had a 0.625 regular season overall win percentage, with Illinois State notching a 0.645 overall win percentage at the end of the 2025-26 regular season.
- Team Records - Northern Iowa tallied a 20-12 regular season overall record. Meanwhile, Illinois State put together a 20-11 standing for 2025-26 college basketball regular season.
Moneyline Mage
Spelling out the winners with humor since the middle ages.
Hocus pocus! Northern Iowa faces Illinois State in NCAA March Madness matchup.
Northern Iowa finished 20-12 overall, Illinois State finished 20-11 overall this season.
11-9 MVC standing for Northern Iowa, 12-8 MVC standing for Illinois State.
The tables below have the best point spread lines, total lines, and moneylines for this matchup. Bet on March Madness games at BetRivers and BetMGM. Review this matchup's prop bets below.
Best Panthers at Redbirds Odds
| Underdog Illinois State | Favorite Northern Iowa |
|---|---|
| Over | Under |
|---|---|
| Underdog Illinois State | Favorite Northern Iowa |
|---|---|
Matchup Odds FAQs
Northern Iowa is a -1.5 -115 point spread favorite at BetMGM, while Illinois State is a +1.5 -105 point spread underdog at BetMGM.
The best over line is 130.5 -105 points at BetMGM, which means you risk $105 to win $100 betting the over. The best under line is 130.5 -115 points at BetMGM, and that means you risk $115 to win $100 betting the under.
Northern Iowa is a -135 moneyline favorite at BetMGM and Illinois State is a +110 moneyline underdog at BetMGM.
College Basketball Odds Example
|
Game |
 BetMGMBet |
|---|---|
Northern Iowa
Illinois State
3/06/26 9:30pm EST | -1.5 -115+1.5 -105 |
Underdog Illinois State - Illinois State bettors risk $100 to win $95.24 at -105 odds.
A +1.5 Illinois State underdog bet wins if they lose by 1, tie, or win outright. Your bet loses if they lose by 2 or more.
Favorite Northern Iowa - Northern Iowa bettors risk $100 to win $86.96 at -115 odds.
A -1.5 Northern Iowa favorite bet wins if they win by 2 or more. Your bet loses if they win by 1, tie, or lose outright.
Northern Iowa at Illinois State Prop Bets
Important Note: Some states expressly forbid individual college athlete prop bets. The following wagers may not be available depending on your particular state laws.
| BetMGM Bet |
|
|---|---|
Northern Iowa
Illinois State
First to 5 Points
3/06/26 9:30pm EST | -125-110Bet |
Northern Iowa
Illinois State
First to 10 Points
3/06/26 9:30pm EST | -125-110Bet |
Northern Iowa
Illinois State
First to 15 Points
3/06/26 9:30pm EST | -135-105Bet |
Northern Iowa
Illinois State
Game to Overtime
3/06/26 9:30pm EST | Yes +700No -2000Bet |
Team Standings
| Team | W-L | Win% | Home | Away | Conf | CGB | Conf% | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 23-13 | 0.639 | 14-2 | 7-7 | 12-8 | +4 | 0.600 | L1 |
| Northern Iowa | 23-13 | 0.639 | 12-5 | 6-6 | 11-9 | +5 | 0.550 | L1 |
Northern Iowa & Illinois State Futures Odds
Latest College Basketball Championship odds, if available, for each team. Review March Madness odds for other teams and learn how to bet on the college basketball tournament. Also be sure to read Ron Halfback's Final Four write-up.
Northern Iowa Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Northern Iowa YR: futures available
Illinois State Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Illinois State YR: futures available
Northern Iowa & Illinois State Team Pages
Review each team's futures odds, betting bonuses, current standings and other valuable information on our exclusive team betting odds pages. Team betting odds and stats update throughout the season:
How to Bet on the Game
Time needed: 4 minutes.
How to Bet on the Northern Iowa vs Illinois State College Basketball Game
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Open a new sports betting account before game time.
Review our list of sports betting sites. Open a new account before the game starts on Friday, March 6th, 2026 at 9:30 pm EST, making sure to enter all your personal details correctly. Don't forget to add your bonus code.
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Visit the sportsbook’s cashier, banking, or deposit page.
Navigate to the sportsbook's deposit page. Use your Visa card or MasterCard, or deposit with a bank transfer, or other methods like Paypal.
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Tap to the sportsbook's College Basketball page, look for the Northern Iowa vs Illinois State Game.
Navigate to the sportsbook's College Basketball page. Next, look for live or upcoming matchups. Select the Northern Iowa vs Illinois State Game.
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Choose your bet and place a wager.
Choose your bet and then use the funds you deposited to place a wager. The sportsbook will pay your winnings or deduct a losing wager from your account balance after the game.
Other March 6, 2026 NCAABB Games
- UC Riverside vs Hawaii
- Bellarmine vs Central Arkansas
- Gardner-Webb vs High Point
- Drake vs Belmont
- Northeastern vs North Carolina A&T
- Charleston Southern vs Winthrop
- Florida Gulf Coast vs Lipscomb
- UIC vs Murray State
- The Citadel vs Chattanooga
- Stetson vs Austin Peay
- Northern Illinois vs Akron
- Southern Miss vs Texas State
- Longwood vs UNC Asheville
- Sacred Heart vs Merrimack
- Bowling Green vs Eastern Michigan
- Central Michigan vs Ball State
- Valparaiso vs Bradley
- Omaha vs South Dakota
- VCU vs Dayton
- Columbia vs Harvard
- Buffalo vs Toledo
- Western Michigan vs Kent State
- Penn vs Brown
- VMI vs UNC Greensboro
- West Georgia vs Queens Charlotte
- UT-Martin vs Tennessee State
- UCF vs West Virginia
- Georgia Southern vs South Alabama
- Presbyterian vs Radford
- Fairfield vs Saint Peter's
- Miami (OH) vs Ohio
- St. John's vs Seton Hall
- Portland vs Washington State
- Denver vs North Dakota
- UNLV vs San Diego State
- SE Missouri State vs Morehead State
- San Diego vs Seattle