Akron Zips vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 1/2/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Akron Zips vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Location: NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Akron Zips (8-3) are traveling to NIU Convocation Center on Tuesday where they will meet the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-5).

The Akron Zips faced Gardner-Webb and earned the victory with a final of 94-90 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Zips ended up walking away with 17 while Gardner-Webb finished the game with 28 fouls. They made 12 of their 30 tries from beyond the arc. Gardner-Webb ended up shooting 75.0% when shooting free throws by making 18 of 24 tries. In addition, Gardner-Webb snagged 32 boards (10 offensive, 22 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Gardner-Webb distributed 10 assists and had 7 steals in this game. In relation to defending, Akron allowed their opponent to shoot 45.5% from the field on 30 of 66 shooting. They also recorded 11 assists for the game as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In regard to rebounding, they compiled a total of 36 with 8 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Zips knocked down 30 of 41 shots for a percentage of 73.2%. Akron wrapped up the contest with a 50.0% FG percentage (29 out of 58) and made 6 out of their 17 shots from beyond the arc.

Ali Ali is someone who was a contributor in the game. He finished 81.8% from the field and distributed 2 assists. He was on the court for 36 minutes and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He accumulated 29 points on 9 out of 11 shooting.

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Akron steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 8-3 on the campaign. They average 78.3 pts per contest (108th in the country) on 47.3% from the field. The Zips are hitting 35.8% on shots from 3-point land (105 of 293) and 72.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Akron is pulling down 36.9 boards per contest and has earned 171 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 170th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 13.3 times per game and as a group they are committing 15.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Zips are able to force 13.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.9 fouls. They concede 33.9% on 3-point attempts and they rank 88th in the nation in opponents PPG (66.8). The Zips defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.5% (281 of 632) and they concede 30.2 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are 143rd in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 146 conceded on the year.

For their last game, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a loss by a score of 76-63 when they played UNI. When discussing attacking the glass, Northern Illinois allowed UNI to pull down 24 overall (4 on the offensive side). They shot 47.1% from beyond the arc by connecting on 8 of 17 and finished the game at 20 of 26 from the free throw line (76.9%). The Huskies permitted UNI to knock down 24 out of 49 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 49.0% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Huskies shot 23 out of 56 from the field which had them shooting 41.1%. In regard to three-point attempts, Northern Illinois made 8 of their 25 tries (32.0%). They were able to make 9 of the free throw tries for a rate of 69.2%. UNI had 16 personal fouls in the game which got the Huskies to the free throw line for a total of 13 tries. They also gave up possession 13 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. The Huskies corralled 20 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 28 for this contest.

David Coit ended up being important for the Huskies for this game. He accumulated 17 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 3 assists for this game. He buried 5 out of 13 in the game for a rate of 38.5%, and had 2 rebounds.

Northern Illinois has a mark of 6-5 this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Huskies are connecting on 47.8% from the field, which ranks them 56th in college hoops. Northern Illinois has totaled 885 points on the campaign (80.5 per game) and they snag 37.9 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 11.5 times per game (314th in college basketball) and they turn it over 12.4 times per contest. The Huskies commit 17.0 fouls per contest and they go 65.3% from the charity stripe.

The Northern Illinois defense gives up 34.4% on 3-point shots (83 of 241) and their opponents are converting on 70.6% of their foul shots. They relinquish 14.7 assists and 37.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 310th and 297th in college basketball. The Huskies on defense are ranked 298th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 76.2. They are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 42.0% from the floor (153rd in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Akron

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