Eastern Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/15/24

The Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Northwestern Wildcats meet Friday in college basketball action from Welsh-Ryan Arena. Here’s an Eastern Illinois vs Northwestern prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Eastern Illinois vs Northwestern pick. We will examine:

The Eastern Illinois Panthers’ recent form and player performance

The Northwestern Wildcats’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Eastern Illinois Panthers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Northwestern Wildcats

Recent betting trends in games played between Eastern Illinois and Northwestern

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Eastern Illinois vs Northwestern game

Eastern Illinois Panthers Betting Preview

The Panthers got their season started with a matchup versus a pretty tough Illinois team. Eastern Illinois got blown out in that one 112-67. Game two went much better though, as EIU took out Earlham 97-61 in blowout fashion last Wednesday.

On Sunday the Panthers had another tall order matching up against Indiana. The good news is that EIU had a 37-36 lead at the break; the bad news is that they scored just 18 points from there in a 90-55 blowout loss. Nakyel Shelton led the team on 17 points with three boards. Eastern Illinois will take on DePaul after this one.

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview

Over on the Northwestern side, they were able to start off their year with a win, taking a blowout 90-46 over Lehigh on November 4. Game two didn’t go so well, however, as the Wildcats lost to Dayton 71-66.

In game three versus UIC, the Wildcats were able to get back into the win column. Northwestern was up by just two points in the locker room but got better from there in an 83-74 win. Nick Martinelli topped the team with 27 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win

• Northwestern has won each of its last nine night games at Welsh-Ryan Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Eastern Illinois has lost each of its last eight road games against non-conference opponents.
• Eastern Illinois has lost the first half in 22 of its last 23 road games against non-conference opponents.

Eastern Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction

I might take a stab at Eastern Illinois here. Sure, the Panthers are just 1-2 so far. That said, EIU has faced some very difficult competition in their losses. EIU held a lead at halftime on the road over a great Indiana team but eventually folded on 17 turnovers and a 38-26 rebounding deficit. The Panthers will match up much better here, and the experience against the top-tier teams will help immensely.

As for Northwestern, they bounced back well after their first loss, notching 50 percent shooting and 18 team assists in their win over UIC. The Wildcats were outfoxed on the boards 36-31 though, so there could be some solid second-chance openings for EIU here if the Panthers can stay aggressive.