Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, 3/7/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Friday, March 7, 2025

Location: McGuirk Arena in Oxford, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Northern Illinois Huskies (5-25) are hitting the road to McGuirk Arena on Friday where they will try to defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas (14-16).

The Northern Illinois Huskies played Bowling Green and took a loss by a score of 71-58 in their last game. Northern Illinois finished the contest having earned a 29.8% field goal percentage (17 out of 57) and made 11 of their 39 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Huskies knocked down 13 of 17 tries for a percentage of 76.5%. When it comes to hauling in boards, they compiled 23 with 1 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 14 assists for this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With regard to the defense, Northern Illinois allowed their opponent to shoot 46.9% from the floor on 23 of 49 shooting. Bowling Green distributed 13 assists and had 4 steals in this contest. Additionally, Bowling Green collected 39 rebounds (3 offensive, 36 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Bowling Green shot 65.4% when shooting free throws by making 17 of their 26 tries. They also knocked down 8 of their 16 attempts from three-point range. In the matter of fouls, the Huskies ended up finishing with 18 while Bowling Green recorded 15 fouls.

Quentin Jones is a guy who was a major contributor in the game. He finished 30.8% from the floor and also dished out 3 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 39 minutes played and also collected 4 boards. He recorded 18 points on 4 of 13 shooting.

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Northern Illinois heads into this game with a record of 5-25 for the campaign. They are turning it over 11.1 times per contest and as a unit are committing 19.5 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Northern Illinois is collecting 32.6 rebounds per game and has 376 assists on the year, which has them ranked 274th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Huskies are hitting 33.3% on 3-point shots (283 of 850) and 70.6% from the free throw line. They average 70.5 points per game (272nd in the nation) while going 41.0% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Huskies are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.7 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 244th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 418 conceded on the season. The Huskies are allowing a FG percentage of 44.5% (770 of 1,730) and they surrender 41.2 boards per game as a team. They concede 36.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 308th in college hoops in points per game allowed (76.7).

The last time they took the court, the Central Michigan Chippewas walked away with a victory by a final of 69-67 when they played Ball State. The Chippewas pulled down 26 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for the game. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while earning 6 steals for the matchup. Ball State earned 18 fouls in this game which got the Chippewas to the charity stripe for a total of 12 attempts. They were able to knock down 10 of the free throws for a percentage of 83.3%. When it comes to 3-pointers, Central Michigan buried 5 of 18 attempts (27.8%). Overall, the Chippewas shot 27 for 55 from the floor which had them shooting 49.1%. The Chippewas permitted Ball State to convert 24 out of their 55 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.6% in this matchup. They went 36.4% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 12 at the free throw line (91.7%). When discussing team rebounding, Central Michigan permitted Ball State to grab 24 in total (4 on the offensive side).

Anthony Pritchard ended up being a factor for the Chippewas in this contest. He tallied 18 points in his 40 mins of playing time and earned 6 dimes for the game. He made 8 of 14 for the contest for a rate of 57.1%, and totaled 7 rebounds.

Central Michigan has a win-loss record of 14-16 so far this season. As an offense, the Chippewas are shooting 46.3% from the field, which is ranked 102nd in the country. Central Michigan has scored 2,260 points for the year (75.3 per game) and they pull in 36.1 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 13.6 times per contest (191st in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 12.1 times per game. The Chippewas commit 16.5 fouls every game and they connect on 72.8% from the charity stripe.

The Central Michigan defense allows 33.6% on shots from behind the 3-point line (255 of 760) and their opponents are converting on 70.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 13.7 assists and 32.3 boards every game, which is ranked 236th and 60th in the nation. The Chippewas on the defensive side of the court are 181st in college hoops in points allowed per game with 71.8. They are forcing 12.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (173rd in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

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