UNI Panthers vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UNI Panthers vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

NIU Convocation Center is the location where the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-4) will compete against the UNI Panthers (5-7) on Thursday.

The UNI Panthers stepped onto the hardwood against Alcorn State and went home with a win by a final score of 100-82 in their last contest. When it comes to personal fouls, the Panthers finished with 17 and Alcorn State finished the game with 15 personal fouls. They also converted 7 of their 13 shots from long range. Alcorn State shot 68.2% at the free throw line by burying 15 of their 22 tries. In addition, Alcorn State snagged 25 boards (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Alcorn State earned 13 assists and had 8 steals in the game. When discussing defense, UNI allowed the other team to go 53.6% from the floor on 30 of 56 shooting. They also doled out 21 dimes in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In the matter of rebounding, they earned a total of 25 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Panthers converted 18 of 21 tries for a rate of 85.7%. UNI walked away from the contest with a 56.7% field goal percentage (34 of 60) and knocked down 14 of their 29 shots from distance.

Nate Heise is one player who came through in this game. He finished the game at 88.9% from the floor and also distributed 4 assists. He played for 33 minutes and also totaled 4 rebounds. He scored 24 points on 8 out of 9 shooting.

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UNI enters this contest with a mark of 5-7 for the campaign. They are turning it over 11.5 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 18.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UNI is collecting 34.8 rebounds per game and has accumulated 175 dimes on the year, which is 69th in the country in terms of passing. The Panthers are shooting 37.1% on shots from distance (108 of 291) and 69.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 77.9 pts per contest (118th in the country) while hitting 47.9% from the field.

On defense, the Panthers are forcing 11.6 turnovers per game while drawing 16.8 personal fouls. They relinquish 36.5% from 3-point land and they rank 278th in the nation in PPG allowed (74.7). The Panthers are giving up a FG percentage of 44.4% (304 of 685) and they surrender 32.7 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 149th in the country in giving up assists with 132 relinquished on the year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Northern Illinois Huskies got the victory with a final of 92-48 when they played Calumet College. Concerning attacking the glass, Northern Illinois permitted Calumet College to pull down 31 overall (15 offensive). They finished 23.5% from beyond the arc via 4 out of 17 and finished the contest at 14 out of 22 from the free throw line (63.6%). The Huskies permitted Calumet College to make 15 out of 68 tries from the field which had them shooting 22.1% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Huskies finished shooting 34 out of 60 from the floor which had them at 56.7%. When talking about 3-pointers, Northern Illinois made 6 out of 23 attempts (26.1%). They were able to knock down 18 of those for a percentage of 69.2%. Calumet College had 20 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Huskies to the charity stripe for 26 tries. They gave up possession 14 times, while earning 13 steals for the game. The Huskies recorded 36 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 45 for the contest.

Will Lovings-Watts ended up being a factor for the Huskies in this game. He scored 23 points in his 32 minutes of playing time and accounted for 1 assist in the game. He converted 9 out of 16 for this game giving him a rate of 56.3%, but wasn't able to snag a board.

Northern Illinois has a mark of 6-4 this year. As an offense, the Huskies are connecting on 48.4% from the floor, which is ranked 43rd in D-1. Northern Illinois has tallied 822 points on the campaign (82.2 per game) and they collect 38.5 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 12.0 times per contest (292nd in college basketball) and they are turning it over 12.3 times per game. The Huskies are committing 16.7 fouls every game while shooting 65.2% from the charity stripe.

The Northern Illinois defense concedes 33.5% on shots from beyond the arc (75 of 224) and their opposition makes 69.7% of their foul shots. They concede 14.8 assists and 38.3 total boards per game, which is 314th and 313th in college hoops. The Huskies on the defensive end are ranked 300th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 76.2. They are forcing 11.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.5% from the floor (116th in the country).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UNI

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