Buffalo at Northern Illinois: 2/23/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Northern Illinois Huskies (2-13) vs Buffalo Bulls (9-7)
Game Info: Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 5:00 pm (Convocation Center)
Betting Odds: Northern Illinois Huskies +13 -- Over/Under: 141.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Buffalo Bulls will travel to the NIU Convocation Center to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.
The Buffalo Bulls dropped to 9-7 on the season after being defeated by the Toledo Rockets, 80-70, this past Friday night. Buffalo struggled offensively against Toledo and could not fight back after the Rockets took a 71-61 lead with 1:38 left in regulation. Buffalo shot 38.6% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc while Toledo shot 46.7% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. Buffalo outrebounded Toledo by a 53-30 margin, however, lost the turnover battle by a 16-9 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Bulls was Jeenathan Williams who had a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Buffalo is averaging 81.4 ppg on 45.5% shooting from the field. The Bulls are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 33.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Buffalo has been led by Jeenathan Williams (18.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.0 spg), Jayvon Graves (14.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Josh Mballa (14.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg), & Ronaldo Segu (13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, Buffalo is allowing their opponents to average 73.1 ppg on 41.3% shooting from the field. The Bulls have a rebound margin of 7.1 and a turnover margin of 0.2.
The Northern Illinois Huskies lost their 4th straight game and dropped to 2-13 on the season after being defeated by the Miami-OH Redhawks, 69-64, this past Saturday. Northern Illinois trailed by a 32-27 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Redhawks took a 54-40 lead with 10:28 left in the 2nd half. Northern Illinois shot 49.1% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc while Miami-OH shot 39.6% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc. Northern Illinois was outrebounded by Miami-OH by a 38-28 margin while each team committed 13 turnovers. Leading the way for the Huskies was Trendon Hankerson who had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 2 steals.
On the season, Northern Illinois is averaging 60.7 ppg on 40.0% shooting from the field. The Huskies are averaging 5.2 three-pointers per game on 31.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northern Illinois has been led by Tyler Cochran (14.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.8 spg), Trendon Hankerson (12.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 spg), Darius Beane (10.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg), & Kaleb Thornton (4.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg).
Defensively, Northern Illinois is allowing their opponents to average 75.4 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Huskies have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of -3.3.
The Bulls are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up loss and 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400. The Huskies are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Tuesday games, however, are just 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall.
Northern Illinois has played better basketball as of late as they have recently lost close games to both Akron & Miami (OH), however, this is just not a very good basketball team as the Huskies come into the game ranked just 334th in scoring offense, 318th in FG%, & 282nd in scoring defense. Buffalo struggled on the offensive end against Toledo, however, this is a one of the best scoring teams in the MAC as the Bulls come into this game ranked 18th in scoring offense & 93rd in FG% and as I think Buffalo bounces back with a big performance in this one, I am taking Buffalo to cover this double-digit road spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Buffalo Bulls -13
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
