Western Michigan Broncos vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 3/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Michigan Broncos vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Location: NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Western Michigan (+1)

The Northern Illinois Huskies (2-15) host the Western Michigan Broncos (4-15) at NIU Convocation Center on Tuesday. Northern Illinois opens this matchup as 1-point favorites. The over/under is set at 129.5.

Western Michigan enters this matchup with a record of 4-15 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.3 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 16.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Western Michigan is collecting 33.3 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 219 assists for the campaign, which is 277th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Broncos are connecting on 31.8% on shots from distance (123 of 387) and 63.4% from the free throw line. They have an average of 62.6 pts per contest (335th in D-1) while going 42.6% from the field. On the defensive end, the Broncos are forcing their opponents into 10.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.7 fouls. They are 64th in D-1 in giving up assists with 214 relinquished on the season. The Broncos are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 43.8% (509 of 1,163) and they surrender 36.6 boards per contest as a squad. They are giving up 31.0% on three-point shots and they are ranked 247th in the country in opponents points per game (72.8).

The Western Michigan Broncos faced off with the Toledo Rockets and took a loss by a final of 91-44 in their last game. Western Michigan ended with a 28.8% FG percentage (17 of 59) and converted 3 out of their 26 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Broncos buried 7 of 13 tries for a percentage of 53.8%. In reference to rebounding, they compiled 29 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 4 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 6 steals. With regard to defense, Western Michigan allowed the other team to go 54.5% from the field on 36 of 66 shooting. Toledo distributed 21 dimes and had 9 steals for the contest. On top of that, Toledo snagged 45 rebounds (7 offensive, 38 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Toledo finished the game at 100.0% when shooting free throws by making 6 of 6 attempts. They also made 13 of their 31 tries from 3-point land.

Greg Lee is a player who was a major contributor for this contest. He totaled 14 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He played for 28 mins and also pulled down 6 rebounds. Lee shot 42.9% from the field and earned 1 assist. An additional guy that was a major contributor in the game for the Broncos was Titus Wright. He collected 4 rebounds in 19 minutes on the hardwood. He finished 60.0% from the field in this contest by hitting 3-of-5 (8 points). When the time ran out, Wright wasn't able to record an assist.

Northern Illinois has a mark of 2-15 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Huskies are shooting 39.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 337th in college basketball. Northern Illinois has totaled 1,042 points for the year (61.3 per game) and they collect 35.6 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 11.1 times per contest (312th in D-1) and they turn the ball over 14.4 times per game. The Huskies have committed 18.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 61.1% from the free throw line. The Huskies defensively are ranked 321st in D-1 in points allowed per game with 77.9. They give up 16.4 dimes and 36.9 boards every game, which ranks them 331st and 267th in the country. The Northern Illinois defense concedes 38.7% on 3-point shots (160 of 413) and their opponents are making 72.5% of their free throw shots. They are forcing their opponents into 11.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.0% from the field (314th in Division 1).

In their last game, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a loss by a score of 91-57 when they played the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Huskies collected 17 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 25 in the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. The Eagles were called for 14 fouls for this contest which took the Huskies to the charity stripe for a total of 12 attempts. They were able to convert 9 of them for a percentage of 75.0%. With respect to shooting from 3-point land, Northern Illinois converted 6 of 19 tries (31.6%). When all was said and done, the Huskies went 21 for 57 from the field which gave them a percentage of 36.8%. The Huskies permitted the Eagles to make 31 of their 61 tries from the field which had them shooting 50.8% in this game. They wrapped up this game 57.1% from beyond the arc by shooting 12 of 21 and finished the game at 17 out of 20 from the free throw line (85.0%). When it comes to rebounding, Northern Illinois allowed Eastern Michigan to pull down 36 overall (11 offensive).

Tyler Cochran ended up being a factor for the Huskies for this game. He converted 7 out of 16 for the contest for a field goal rate of 43.8%, and had 3 rebounds. Cochran tallied 20 points in his 37 mins on the court and had 3 assists in the game. One more player who was a determining factor for Northern Illinois was Trendon Hankerson. He wrapped the game up with 3 assists in his 37 mins played, and he shot 7 out of 14 from the floor. Hankerson wrapped this one up going 50.0% from the field while earning 18 points and 3 total rebounds.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Michigan (+1)

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