Evansville Purple Aces vs UNI Panthers Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Evansville Purple Aces vs UNI Panthers

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA

TV: ESPN+

The Evansville Purple Aces (5-16) are hitting the road to McLeod Center on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the UNI Panthers (13-9).

The Evansville Purple Aces played Drake and went home with a loss by a final score of 82-78 in their last game. Evansville ended having earned a 54.5% FG percentage (30 out of 55) and made 11 out of their 22 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Purple Aces knocked down 7 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 58.3%. In reference to rebounding, they collected a total of 25 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 17 assists for the contest in addition to creating 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In regard to defending, Evansville allowed 43.1% from the floor on 22 of 51 shooting. Drake distributed 12 dimes and had 7 steals for the contest. Additionally, Drake snagged 29 rebounds (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Drake finished the game shooting 73.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 28 of 38 attempts. They also knocked down 10 of 32 tries from long range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Purple Aces ended up finishing with 25 and Drake had 14 personal fouls.

Leif Moeller is one guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He scored 20 points on 8 out of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 40 mins played and also snagged 7 rebounds. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the field and dished out 7 assists.

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Evansville heads into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 5-16 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.8 times per game and as a group they commit 17.3 fouls per game. As a team, Evansville is snagging 33.3 rebounds per game and is sitting with 286 dimes so far this year, which ranks 211th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Purple Aces are hitting 31.7% from downtown (153 of 483) and 71.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 67.8 pts per game (334th in Division 1) while shooting 42.7% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Purple Aces have forced 11.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They rank 208th in college in giving up assists with 286 conceded this season. The Purple Aces defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 44.4% (539 of 1,215) and they surrender 35.6 rebounds per game as a team. They are surrendering 34.5% on shots from downtown and they rank 202nd in college in points per game allowed (74.2).

The last time they took the hardwood, the UNI Panthers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 65-50 when they played Southern Illinois. The Panthers pulled down 24 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards totaling 27 for the matchup. They also turned it over 16 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. Southern Illinois had 12 personal fouls in this contest which got the Panthers to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They were able to knock down 8 of the free throws for a rate of 61.5%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, UNI made 4 out of their 17 tries (23.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Panthers shot 19 out of 47 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.4%. The Panthers permitted Southern Illinois to convert 25 of 53 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 47.2% in the game. They wrapped up this game 40.0% from beyond the perimeter by going 6 of 15 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 19 at the free throw line (47.4%). In the matter of how they rebounded, UNI allowed Southern Illinois to collect 31 in total (5 on the offensive side).

Will Hornseth ended up being a major contributor for the Panthers for this contest. He made 5 out of 7 for this contest for a field goal rate of 71.4%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He totaled 14 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood, but went home with no dimes.

UNI has a win-loss mark of 13-9 for the campaign. The Panthers have committed 15.5 fouls every game and they hit 67.2% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.2 times per contest (181st in D-1) and they turn the ball over 9.5 times per contest. UNI has accounted for 1,473 pts so far this season (67.0 per contest) and they collect 32.9 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Panthers are hitting on 45.0% from the floor, which ranks 199th in the nation.

The UNI defense gives up 26.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (124 of 473) and their opponents are converting on 70.0% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 10.8 dimes and 35.5 rebounds every game, which ranks them 22nd and 244th in those defensive categories. The Panthers on defense are ranked 1st in D-1 in points allowed per game with 60.7. They are able to force 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 40.0% from the field (31st in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Evansville

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