Ball State Cardinals vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 1/25/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025

Location: NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Ball State Cardinals (9-9) are headed to NIU Convocation Center on Saturday where they will compete against the Northern Illinois Huskies (4-14).

The Ball State Cardinals stepped onto the hardwood against Central Michigan and went home with a win by a final score of 82-80 in their last game. Ball State walked away from the game with a 54.0% FG percentage (27 out of 50) and converted 9 out of their 20 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Cardinals converted 19 of their 25 tries for a rate of 76.0%. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 29 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 15 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When talking about defense, Ball State allowed the other team to go 46.4% from the field on 32 out of 69 shooting. Central Michigan distributed 12 assists and had 12 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Central Michigan snagged 29 rebounds (11 offensive, 18 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Central Michigan ended up shooting 69.2% from the charity stripe by making 9 of 13 shots. They also knocked down 7 of their 19 tries from distance. When discussing fouls, the Cardinals finished with 14 and Central Michigan accounted for 19 fouls.

Mickey Pearson Jr. is a guy who was a contributor in this contest. He finished 71.4% from the floor and earned 3 assists. He played 37 mins played and pulled down 5 rebounds. He notched 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting.

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Ball State enters this game with a win-loss mark of 9-9 so far this year. They currently have an average of 76.2 pts per contest (149th in the nation) while connecting on 46.5% from the floor. The Cardinals are shooting 34.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (133 of 381) and 70.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Ball State is snagging 35.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 239 dimes for the season, which is 256th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 12.5 times per game and as a team they are committing 16.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Cardinals are forcing 10.4 turnovers every game and they draw 19.9 personal fouls. They are ranked 144th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 236 surrendered this season. The Cardinals defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.2% (467 of 1,082) and they concede 34.4 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 31.5% on shots from distance and they are 243rd in Division 1 in points per game allowed (73.4).

In their last game, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a defeat with a final score of 72-70 against Western Michigan. In reference to rebounding, Northern Illinois permitted Western Michigan to snag 35 in all (14 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 30.4% from distance by shooting 7 out of 23 and ended up going 19 of 27 from the free throw line (70.4%). The Huskies allowed Western Michigan to make 23 of 60 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.3% for this game. Overall, the Huskies shot 24 for 54 from the floor which had them shooting 44.4%. In reference to shooting from distance, Northern Illinois knocked down 7 of 25 tries (28.0%). They were able to convert 15 of the free throw tries for a rate of 93.8%. Western Michigan earned 17 fouls for the contest which took the Huskies to the free throw line for 16 attempts. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 6 steals in the game. The Huskies collected 20 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 26 for the matchup.

James Dent Jr. pitched in for the Huskies for the game. He buried 7 of 13 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and added 4 rebounds. He earned 18 points in his 33 mins on the court and had 3 assists for this contest.

Northern Illinois has a record of 4-14 on the year. The Huskies have committed 19.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 70.7% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 12.7 times per game (270th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.6 times per game. Northern Illinois has accumulated 1,269 pts so far this year (70.5 per game) and they pull in 32.7 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Huskies are connecting on 40.8% from the field, which is 341st in the nation.

The Northern Illinois defense gives up 36.9% on 3-point shots (145 of 393) and their opponents are converting on 72.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 13.8 assists and 41.5 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 244th and 359th in Division 1. The Huskies on the defensive end are ranked 298th in college in PPG allowed with 76.2. They are forcing 14.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.0% from the field (275th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

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