Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, 3/5/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Friday, March 5, 2021

Location: McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Northern Illinois (+6)

McGuirk Arena is the venue where and the Central Michigan Chippewas (7-15) will take on the Northern Illinois Huskies (2-16) on Friday. The odds on this matchup have Central Michigan as 6-point favorites. The O/U opens at 144.5.

Northern Illinois heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 2-16 for the year. They average 61.4 points per contest (337th in Division 1) on 39.7% from the field. The Huskies are connecting on 31.6% on three-point attempts (96 of 304) and 59.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Northern Illinois is snagging 35.7 boards per game and has racked up 197 assists so far this year, which is 311th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 14.0 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 18.0 personal fouls per contest. On the defensive end, the Huskies are forcing 11.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.7 personal fouls. They are ranked 211th in D-1 in giving up assists with 291 surrendered this season. The Huskies defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 47.2% (487 of 1,031) and they concede 37.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They surrender 39.4% on 3-point shots and they rank 315th in college hoops in points per game allowed (77.6).

The Northern Illinois Huskies stepped onto the hardwood against the Western Michigan Broncos and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 73-63 in their last game. Northern Illinois finished the game having earned a 37.1% field goal percentage (26 of 70) and converted 7 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Huskies made 4 of 13 tries for a rate of 30.8%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 31 with 14 of them being offensive. They also recorded 9 dimes in this contest while forcing the other team into 18 turnovers and having 11 steals. Regarding defense, Northern Illinois allowed the other team to go 53.2% from the field on 25 of 47 shooting. Western Michigan distributed 12 dimes and had 4 steals for the game. Furthurmore, Western Michigan totaled 37 rebounds (7 offensive, 30 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Western Michigan shot 80.0% from the charity stripe by burying 12 of their 15 tries. They also converted 11 of their 21 shots from beyond the arc.

Tyler Cochran is someone who was a major factor in the matchup. He totaled 19 points on 8 out of 18 shooting. He played for 39 minutes played and collected 10 boards. Cochran shot 44.4% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime. Someone else that was a major contributor in this contest for the Huskies was Trendon Hankerson. He pulled down 2 rebounds in his 36 minutes played on the night. He finished the game shooting 40.0% from the field for the game by going 6-of-15 (16 points). When the final whistle was blown, Hankerson tallied 2 assists.

Central Michigan has a record of 7-15 this season. As an offense, the Chippewas are shooting 44.9% from the field, which is ranked 141st in the nation. Central Michigan has accounted for 1,692 points so far this season (76.9 per contest) and they grab 36.1 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 10.8 times per contest (323rd in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.6 times per game. The Chippewas are committing 17.2 fouls per game and they connect on 66.5% from the charity stripe. The Chippewas on the defensive end are ranked 336th in college basketball in PPG given up with 79.8. The Central Michigan defense allows 34.2% from downtown (193 of 565) and opponents are converting on 74.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 15.6 dimes and 38.5 boards per game, which ranks them 319th and 314th in the nation. They are forcing 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 45.7% from the floor (280th in college hoops).

The last time they took the court, the Central Michigan Chippewas walked away with a victory by a final of 81-79 when they played the Toledo Rockets. The Chippewas collected 30 defensive boards and 3 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 7 times, while earning 3 steals for the matchup. The Rockets earned 18 fouls for the contest which got the Chippewas to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They were able to convert 15 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 83.3%. With respect to shots from beyond the perimeter, Central Michigan buried 10 out of 28 tries (35.7%). When this game wrapped up, the Chippewas finished 28 for 59 from the floor which had them shooting 47.5%. The Chippewas permitted the Rockets to bury 25 out of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.9% in this game. They finished shooting 39.1% from 3-point land by going 9 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 20 of 23 from the charity stripe (87.0%). When it comes to rebounding, Central Michigan permitted Toledo to grab 32 in total (5 on the offensive glass).

Caleb Huffman ended up being a factor for the Chippewas for the contest. He made 10 of 19 in the game giving him a rate of 52.6%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. Huffman scored 26 points in his 37 mins on the court and earned 4 assists for the matchup. One more player that was pivotal for Central Michigan was Meikkel Murray. He came away with 3 assists in his 37 mins on the hardwood, and he converted 11 out of 17 from the floor. Murray finished going 64.7% from the floor while also collecting 24 points and 9 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northern Illinois (+6)

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