Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 2/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Location: NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

NIU Convocation Center is the location where the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-14) will take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles (9-12) on Saturday.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles took the court against Akron and took a loss by a final of 77-46 in their last game. Eastern Michigan finished the contest with a 36.0% field goal percentage (18 of 50) and made 2 out of their 19 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Eagles buried 8 of 14 attempts for a percentage of 57.1%. When discussing grabbing boards, they collected 21 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 4 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 3 steals. When talking about defense, Eastern Michigan allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the field on 32 out of 64 shooting. Akron doled out 14 assists and had 11 steals for the contest. Moreover, Akron snagged 38 rebounds (9 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Akron went 87.5% from the free throw line by burying 7 of their 8 shots. They made 6 out of their 25 shots from beyond the perimeter. When it comes to personal fouls, the Eagles finished with 10 while Akron totaled 16 personal fouls.

Orlando Lovejoy is one player who played a role for the matchup. He ended up shooting 41.7% from the field and dished out 2 assists. He was on the court for 38 mins played and also pulled down 4 rebounds. He accounted for 12 points on 5 of 12 shooting.

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Eastern Michigan heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 9-12 so far this season. They have an average of 66.3 points per contest (335th in D-1) while connecting on 43.5% from the field. The Eagles are shooting 29.7% on shots from beyond the arc (113 of 381) and 67.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Eastern Michigan is snagging 33.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 220 dimes for the campaign, which is 336th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.0 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Eagles have forced 11.0 turnovers every game and they draw 16.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 244th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 286 relinquished this season. The Eagles defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 46.6% (575 of 1,234) and they relinquish 35.9 rebounds per contest as a team. They are surrendering 33.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 259th in the nation in PPG allowed (74.5).

The last time they took the court, the Northern Illinois Huskies walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 84-77 when they faced Central Michigan. The Huskies collected 28 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 41 in this game. They also coughed it up 13 times, while getting 2 steals in this game. Central Michigan committed 19 fouls for the game which took the Huskies to the free throw line for a total of 25 tries. They were able to bury 16 of the free throws for a percentage of 64.0%. Pertaining to shots from downtown, Northern Illinois converted 7 of 26 tries (26.9%). When the game finished, the Huskies ended up shooting 27 out of 66 from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.9%. The Huskies permitted Central Michigan to knock down 26 of 65 tries from the floor which had them at 40.0% in the game. They went 28.6% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 6 of 21 and finished the contest at 26 out of 37 at the free throw line (70.3%). When talking about cleaning up the glass, Northern Illinois allowed Central Michigan to grab 40 in total (15 on the offensive glass).

Xavier Amos was important for the Huskies in the matchup. He converted 7 out of 13 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and had 7 rebounds. He earned 25 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this contest.

Northern Illinois has a record of 6-14 on the year. The Huskies have committed 18.4 fouls per game while shooting 66.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 10.6 times per contest (341st in D-1) and they are giving up possession 12.7 times per game. Northern Illinois has scored 1,535 pts so far this year (76.8 per game) and they collect 35.3 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Huskies are hitting on 45.9% from the field, which has them ranked 121st in Division 1.

The Huskies on the defensive side of the court are 347th in Division 1 in points given up per game with 80.4. They are forcing 11.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.2% from the floor (287th in Division 1). The Northern Illinois defense surrenders 36.1% on 3-pointers (152 of 421) and opponents are knocking down 70.2% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 14.2 dimes and 38.3 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 294th and 320th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Eastern Michigan

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