Northern Illinois Huskies vs Akron Zips Prediction, 2/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Akron Zips

Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Location: James A. Rhodes Arena in Athens, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Northern Illinois Huskies (5-19) are en route to James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Akron Zips (19-5).

The Northern Illinois Huskies faced off with Buffalo and took a loss by a score of 73-67 in their last game. Northern Illinois finished with a 43.3% FG percentage (26 of 60) and made 4 of their 22 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Huskies converted 11 of 11 shots for a percentage of 100.0%. Regarding rebounding, they earned 31 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 6 dimes for this game while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When talking about the defense, Northern Illinois allowed 44.4% from the floor on 24 of 54 shooting. Buffalo recorded 10 assists and had 5 steals in the matchup. In addition, Buffalo pulled down 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Buffalo finished the contest at 80.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of their 20 tries. They converted 9 of their 19 shots from 3-point range. When discussing fouls, the Huskies ended up finishing with 14 and Buffalo totaled 11 fouls.

Quentin Jones is someone who had an impact in the matchup. He finished the game at 46.7% from the field and earned 3 assists. He played for 39 mins and also grabbed 7 boards. He ended up walking away with 18 points on 7 out of 15 shooting.

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Northern Illinois heads into this contest with a mark of 5-19 on the year. They have an average of 71.2 points per game (264th in the country) while connecting on 41.4% from the field. The Huskies are shooting 33.0% on shots from distance (216 of 654) and 70.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Northern Illinois is pulling in 33.0 rebounds per contest and has totaled 300 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 295th in the nation in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 11.2 times per game and as a squad they are committing 19.3 fouls every game.

On defense, the Huskies have forced 13.3 turnovers per game and they draw 16.9 fouls. They are giving up 36.4% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 304th in the nation in points per game allowed (76.2). The Huskies defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.3% (620 of 1,399) and they relinquish 41.3 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 211th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 334 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Akron Zips got the victory with a final of 105-92 against Western Michigan. The Zips corralled 24 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for this contest. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while recording 5 steals for this contest. Western Michigan committed 17 personal fouls for the contest which got the Zips to the free throw line for 19 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 68.4%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Akron converted 14 out of their 27 tries (51.9%). When the final whistle was blown, the Zips walked away from this one shooting 39 for 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 62.9%. The Zips permitted Western Michigan to knock down 32 out of 74 tries from the field which had them shooting 43.2% in this game. They wrapped up this game 35.5% from downtown by shooting 11 out of 31 and finished the game at 17 of 24 from the free throw line (70.8%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, Akron permitted Western Michigan to grab 31 in total (19 on the offensive side).

Nate Johnson was important for the Zips in the matchup. He had 22 points in his 34 minutes on the court and earned 3 assists for this game. He knocked down 6 of 9 in this matchup for a rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 6 rebounds.

Akron has a record of 19-5 for the year. The Zips have committed 18.1 fouls per game and they shoot 74.6% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 18.7 times per contest (4th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 12.5 times per game. Akron has totaled 2,031 pts this year (84.6 per contest) and they grab 40.2 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Zips are shooting 46.7% from the field, which is ranked 83rd in the nation.

The Zips are ranked 236th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 73.5. They have forced 13.1 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.1% from the field (93rd in college). The Akron defense gives up 31.3% on shots from 3-point land (177 of 565) and opponents are making 71.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 11.8 dimes and 35.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 69th and 247th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

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