Northern Illinois Huskies vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/16/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, January 16, 2021

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Northern Illinois (+12.5)

The Northern Illinois Huskies (2-9) travel to Worthen Arena on Saturday where they'll take on the Ball State Cardinals (5-5). The spread on this game has Ball State as 12.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 131.5.

Northern Illinois heads into this one with a record of 2-9 on the year. They average 59.5 pts per contest (338th in D-1) while hitting 40.3% from the field. The Huskies are hitting 28.2% on three-point attempts (48 of 170) and 61.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Northern Illinois is snagging 36.1 rebounds per contest and has totaled 113 dimes this year, which ranks 247th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 15.2 times per contest and as a group are committing 17.5 fouls every game. When they are on the defensive end, the Huskies are able to force 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.3 fouls. They currently rank 322nd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 193 surrendered so far this year. The Huskies defense is giving up a FG percentage of 47.3% (296 of 626) and they relinquish 34.5 rebounds per contest as a unit. They give up 38.2% on 3-pointers and they rank 275th in college basketball in opponents points per game (74.8).

The Northern Illinois Huskies stepped onto the hardwood against the Akron Zips and notched a win by a score of 67-65 in their last game. Northern Illinois finished the game with a 46.3% FG percentage (25 out of 54) and converted 7 of their 14 three-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Huskies made 10 of 14 shots for a percentage of 71.4%. When discussing pulling down boards, they earned a total of 41 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 18 assists for the game as well as getting 7 steals and 3 blocked shots. Pertaining to defense, Northern Illinois allowed their opponent to shoot 46.3% from the field on 25 out of 54 shooting. Akron distributed 16 assists and had 3 steals in the matchup. Furthurmore, the Zips totaled 25 boards (5 offensive, 20 defensive) and added 3 blocked shots. Akron finished the game shooting 46.2% when shooting free throws by burying 6 of their 13 attempts. They converted 9 of their 29 tries from distance.

Trendon Hankerson is a player who was a factor in this matchup. He accumulated 15 points on 5 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 40 minutes and snagged 3 rebounds. Hankerson finished the game at 41.7% from the floor and totaled 4 dimes. An additional guy that had an impact in this contest for the Huskies was Justin Lee. He collected 11 rebounds and accounted for 2 assists. He finished the game at 83.3% from the field in the matchup by going 5-of-6 (15 points). In all, Lee saw the court for 23 minutes.

Ball State has a record of 5-5 this year. The Cardinals are responsible for committing 18.4 fouls every game and they go 67.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.2 times per game (255th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 13.3 times per contest. Ball State has accounted for 725 points so far this year (72.5 per game) and they snag 35.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cardinals are hitting on 44.2% from the field, which is 192nd in college basketball. The Cardinals defensively are ranked 228th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 72.3. They concede 12.0 dimes and 37.9 total boards per game, ranking them 118th and 280th in college basketball. The Ball State defense allows 30.0% on three-point shots (64 of 213) and their opponents are converting on 66.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They are forcing their opponents into 14.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.9% from the floor (218th in Division 1).

For their last game, the Ball State Cardinals got the win with a final of 88-64 against the Bowling Green Falcons. The Cardinals recorded 32 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 in the game. They also stuffed 2 shots while getting 8 steals for the game. The Falcons committed 19 fouls for the matchup which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for a total of 19 shots. They were able to knock down 14 of them for a rate of 73.7%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Ball State buried 12 of 26 tries (46.2%). In all, the Cardinals shot 31 for 56 from the floor which had them shooting 55.4%. The Cardinals allowed the Falcons to convert 21 of 54 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 38.9% for the game. They finished 20.8% from 3-point land via 5 out of 24 and ended up shooting 17 out of 26 from the charity stripe (65.4%). Concerning cleaning the glass, Ball State allowed Bowling Green to snag 24 in total (5 on the offensive side).

Ishmael El-Amin ended up being a factor for the Cardinals in the game. He made 7 of 15 for the game for a rate of 46.7%, which gave him 20 points. El-Amin collected 2 rebounds in his 28 minutes played and had 3 dimes for the game. An additional guy that was pivotal for Ball State was K.J. Walton. He was able to score 14 points in his 33 minutes on the court via 6 out of 11 from the floor for the matchup. Walton ended up shooting 54.5% from the field as well as collecting 2 assists and 9 rebounds.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Ball State (-12.5) and under 131.5 points

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