Akron Zips vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 2/8/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Location: NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL

TV: ESPN3

The Northern Illinois Huskies (6-14) will compete against the Akron Zips (15-6) at NIU Convocation Center on Tuesday.

The Akron Zips played Miami and notched a win by a score of 71-59 in their last game. Akron ended with a 52.4% FG percentage (22 of 42) and buried 10 of their 19 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Zips converted 17 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 73.9%. In regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 34 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 9 dimes in the matchup in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In relation to the defense, Akron allowed the other team to go 39.6% from the floor on 21 out of 53 shooting. Miami earned 9 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. Additionally, Miami pulled down 16 rebounds (1 offensive, 15 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Miami finished 90.9% from the free throw line by making 10 of 11 tries. They also converted 7 out of their 23 attempts from three-point range. When discussing fouls, the Zips walked away with 13 while Miami totaled 19 fouls.

Ali Ali is one player who was a major contributor for the matchup. He ended up walking away with 21 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 27 mins and collected 1 rebound. He ended up shooting 70.0% from the floor and distributed 1 assist.

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Akron will play this game with a mark of 15-6 this year. They average 71.6 points per outing (177th in D-1) while going 45.7% from the floor. The Zips are shooting 35.0% on three-point attempts (170 of 486) and 66.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Akron is pulling in 36.6 boards per contest and has earned 256 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 271st in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.7 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 15.8 fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Zips are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game while drawing 19.2 fouls. They are 9th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 195 conceded so far this year. The Zips are giving up a FG percentage of 41.9% (489 of 1,166) and they surrender 31.1 boards per game as a basketball team. They relinquish 33.8% on 3-point shots and they rank 29th in the nation in points per game allowed (62.7).

When they last played, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a defeat with a final score of 87-65 when they faced Bowling Green. With respect to team rebounding, Northern Illinois permitted Bowling Green to grab 41 overall (13 on the offensive side). They shot 44.0% from beyond the arc by connecting on 11 of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 16 out of 18 from the free throw line (88.9%). The Huskies allowed Bowling Green to convert 30 of 67 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 44.8% for the contest. When the game finished, the Huskies shot 21 out of 64 from the field which gave them a percentage of 32.8%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Northern Illinois knocked down 7 of 28 attempts (25.0%). They were able to make 16 of them for a percentage of 76.2%. Bowling Green committed 13 fouls in the matchup which took the Huskies to the charity stripe for a total of 21 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 5 steals for this game. The Huskies snagged 21 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 31 in this game.

Keshawn Williams ended up being important for the Huskies for the matchup. He made 4 out of 14 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 28.6%, and had 7 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 34 mins on the hardwood and tallied 2 assists for this game.

Northern Illinois has a win-loss record of 6-14 on the campaign. As an offensive team, the Huskies are hitting on 41.1% from the floor, which is 319th in Division 1. Northern Illinois has accumulated 1,269 pts on the season (63.5 per contest) and they grab 32.9 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 11.0 times per game (318th in the nation) and they turn it over 14.5 times per game. The Huskies are committing 20.5 personal fouls every game and they connect on 66.8% from the charity stripe.

The Huskies on the defensive end are ranked 253rd in college hoops in PPG given up with 71.7. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.3% from the field (264th in college basketball). The Northern Illinois defense allows 32.3% on three-point shots (135 of 418) and their opponents are knocking down 73.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 13.5 assists and 36.5 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 255th and 280th in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Akron

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