Northern Kentucky vs Oakland Prediction 2/1/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Northern Kentucky Norse and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies meet Sunday in college basketball action from the OU Credit Union O’rena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Northern Kentucky Norse vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies prediction.

Northern Kentucky Norse Recap

The Northern Kentucky Norse come into this game looking to bounce back from a 90-77 loss to Detroit Mercy last time out to sit at 14-9 this season. After this game, Northern Kentucky will head home for a game against Green Bay.

Norse Lose 3 Straight

Donovan Oday leads the Norse in scoring with 17.9 PPG along with 3.8 RPG while Dan Gherezgher has 16.4 PPG with 3.2 RPG and 2.4 APG. Kael Robinson has 14.4 PPG with 4.2 RPG and LJ Wells has 14.1 PPG with 7.9 RPG to lead the Norse on the glass and to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Northern Kentucky up to this point in the year. Ethan Elliott has a team-high 4.5 APG while Tae Dozier has 8 PPG and 4.5 RPG as well this season. As a team, Northern Kentucky is averaging 84.6 PPG on 48% shooting from the field, 34.5% from three and 73.2% from the foul line so far this season.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies Recap

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies come into this game looking to add on to their 74-65 win over PFW last time out to improve to 13-10 on the year. After this game, Oakland will head on the road for a game against Cleveland State.

Golden Grizzlies Win 7 Of Last 9

Brody Robinson leads the Golden Grizzlies in scoring and assists with 16.8 PPG and 6 APG along with 2.5 RPG while Isaac Garrett has 14.8 PPG with a team-high 7.3 RPG to lead the Golden Grizzlies on the glass. Michael Houge has 13.3 PPG with 5.3 RPG while Tuburu Naivalurua has 13.5 PPG with 5.9 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Oakland up to this point in the year. Ziare Wells also has 9.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG and Nassim Mashhour has 9.3 PPG with 2.9 RPG as well this season. As a team, Oakland is averaging 83.5 PPG on 47.1% shooting from the field, 34% from three and 75.9% from the foul line this season. 

Northern Kentucky Norse @ Oakland Golden Grizzlies Betting Trends: February 1, 2026

Why the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will win

• Oakland has won seven of its last eight home games following a road win.
• Northern Kentucky has lost each of its last four road day games against Conference opponents.
• Northern Kentucky has lost the first half in seven of its last eight road day games against Conference opponents.

Why the Northern Kentucky Norse will win

• The road team has won each of Oakland’s last six games.
• The road team has won the first half in each of Oakland’s last six games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Oakland’s last eight home games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 168+ points.
• Each of Northern Kentucky’s last six games at OU Credit Union O’rena have produced a total of 159 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Oakland ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for opponent assists per game this season (19.7).
• Oakland ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for opponent assist to turnover ratio this season (1.73).
• Northern Kentucky ranks T18th among Division 1 teams for opponent blocks per game this season (2.4).
• Northern Kentucky ranks 27th among Division 1 teams for steals per game this season (9.1).

Northern Kentucky Norse vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies Prediction

I’m on Oakland here. I gave NKU the benefit of the doubt on the road against Detroit Mercy as NKU normally has a consistent defense that puts them in a good spot more often than not. However, The Norse got drilled and I’m not sure how confident that makes me against an Oakland team that has one of the more potent offenses in the Horizon League and I think this line is a little bit light for me here. Give me Oakland.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Oakland -5.5