Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Northern Illinois Huskies (13-18) are hitting the road to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday where they will meet the Kent State Golden Flashes (25-6).

The Northern Illinois Huskies took the court against Eastern Michigan and notched a win by a score of 85-66 in their last contest. Northern Illinois walked away from the game with a 56.5% field goal percentage (35 out of 62) and converted 9 out of their 20 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Huskies converted 6 of their 10 attempts for a rate of 60.0%. Concerning rebounding, they compiled 38 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 23 dimes for the contest while forcing 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. When it comes to the defense, Northern Illinois let their opponent shoot 42.6% from the floor on 26 of 61 shooting. Eastern Michigan distributed 10 assists and had 9 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Eastern Michigan grabbed 22 rebounds (6 offensive, 16 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Eastern Michigan finished shooting 60.0% from the free throw line by burying 9 of their 15 tries. They also buried 5 of 18 attempts from beyond the arc. When it comes to personal fouls, the Huskies walked away with 18 and Eastern Michigan accounted for 12 personal fouls.

Zarique Nutter is someone who was a factor for this game. He scored 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 33 minutes and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He went 72.7% from the floor and also earned 2 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Expert Picks

Northern Illinois steps onto the hardwood with a record of 13-18 on the year. They turn the ball over 14.2 times per game and as a unit they commit 19.3 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Northern Illinois is grabbing 33.3 rebounds per game and has earned 392 assists for the season, which is 229th in the country in terms of passing. The Huskies are shooting 34.8% on three-point shots (230 of 660) and 65.1% from the free throw line. They have an average of 72.5 points per outing (164th in the nation) while hitting 46.3% from the field.

On defense, the Huskies are forcing 13.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They rank 199th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 403 surrendered this year. The Huskies defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 44.9% (823 of 1,833) and they relinquish 37.4 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They give up 33.1% on shots from distance and they are 314th in the country in opponents points per game (75.0).

In their last game, the Kent State Golden Flashes took home the win by a final score of 89-84 against Akron. The Golden Flashes corralled 26 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 33 for the contest. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. Akron had 21 personal fouls in this game which got the Golden Flashes to the free throw line for 25 attempts. They were able to make 22 of the free throw tries for a clip of 88.0%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Kent State made 7 of 19 tries (36.8%). In all, the Golden Flashes ended up going 30 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 51.7%. The Golden Flashes permitted Akron to make 25 out of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.9% in this game. They finished shooting 29.6% from beyond the arc by shooting 8 out of 27 and finished the game at 26 of 32 from the charity stripe (81.3%). In the matter of rebounding, Kent State allowed Akron to grab 25 overall (5 offensive).

Sincere Carry was important for the Golden Flashes for the game. He converted 9 of 18 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He racked up 35 points in his 43 minutes of playing time and earned 4 assists in this contest.

Kent State has a mark of 25-6 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Golden Flashes are connecting on 45.3% from the field, which is 144th in college hoops. Kent State has accounted for 2,357 pts on the year (76.0 per contest) and they grab 35.1 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 12.5 times per game (229th in college hoops) and they turn it over 11.6 times per contest. The Golden Flashes commit 19.1 personal fouls every game while shooting 72.9% from the charity stripe.

The Golden Flashes are ranked 48th in D-1 in points given up per game with 65.4. They are able to force 16.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.1% from the field (18th in college hoops). The Kent State defense gives up 31.1% from downtown (217 of 697) and opponents are knocking down 71.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 11.5 assists and 35.0 total boards per game, which has them ranked 87th and 244th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here