Northern Illinois Huskies vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, 12/5/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020

Location: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ACCNX

Odds/Point Spread: Northern Illinois (+14.5)

The Pittsburgh Panthers (1-1) host the Northern Illinois Huskies (0-2) at Petersen Events Center on Saturday. The line on this game has Pittsburgh as 14.5-point favorites. The total opens at 133.5.

Northern Illinois comes into this game with a win-loss record of 0-2 on the season. They are averaging 57.0 pts per game (272nd in the country) while hitting 40.4% from the floor. The Huskies are hitting 20.8% on shots from downtown (5 of 24) and 61.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Northern Illinois is collecting 35.0 rebounds per game and has racked up 18 dimes this year, which has them ranked 245th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 15.5 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 15.0 fouls every game. On the defensive end of the court, the Huskies are able to force 10.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.5 fouls. They are currently ranked 152nd in D-1 in giving up assists with 34 relinquished for the year. The Huskies defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.0% (50 of 111) and they surrender 30.5 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are giving up 36.5% from 3-point land and they are ranked 135th in the nation in PPG allowed (69.0).

The Northern Illinois Huskies stepped onto the hardwood against the SIU Edwardsville Cougars and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 73-53 in their last contest. Northern Illinois finished with a 40.4% field goal percentage (21 of 52) and converted 2 of 14 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Huskies knocked down 9 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 52.9%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they collected 29 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 10 assists for the matchup in addition to having 7 steals and 2 blocks. In terms of the defense, Northern Illinois allowed the other team to shoot 40.4% from the floor on 21 of 52. SIU Edwardsville recorded 18 assists and 10 steals for this contest. Additionally, the Cougars had 28 rebounds (3 offensive, 25 defensive) and got 2 rejections. SIU Edwardsville shot 72.2% from the free throw line by knocking down 13 of 18 attempts. They converted 8 of their 19 shots from downtown.

Darius Beane is a guy who was important in this game. He ended up scoring 13 points on 5 out of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and also snagged 6 rebounds. Beane finished the game shooting 50.0% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists. One more player that saw a lot of court time in this contest for the Huskies was Tyler Cochran. He pulled down 4 rebounds and collected 2 assists. He ended up shooting 43.8% from the field in this game by connecting on 7-of-16 (15 points). In all, Cochran was on the court for 32 min.

Pittsburgh has a win-loss record of 1-1 on the season. The Panthers commit 18.0 fouls per contest and they connect on 68.4% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 16.5 times per contest (70th in college basketball) and they turn it over 18.0 times per game. Pittsburgh has totaled 153 pts for the campaign (76.5 per game) and they average 36.5 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Panthers are hitting on 49.2% from the floor, which is 126th in the nation. The Panthers defensively are ranked 217th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 77.0. They are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.6% from the field (217th in the nation). The Pittsburgh defense allows 27.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (12 of 44) and their opponents are knocking down 73.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 17.0 assists and 33.5 rebounds every game, which is ranked 252nd and 92nd in those categories on the defensive end.

When they last stepped on the court, the Pittsburgh Panthers went home victorious with a score of 83-74 against the Drexel Dragons. The Panthers collected 20 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 23 in this contest. They also blocked 5 shots while getting 9 steals for the contest. The Dragons earned 16 fouls for the matchup which took the Panthers to the free throw line for 22 attempts. They were able to convert 16 of those for a percentage of 72.7%. In relation to shooting from downtown, Pittsburgh knocked down 5 of their 19 attempts (26.3%). Overall, the Panthers walked away from this one shooting 31 for 50 from the field which gave them a percentage of 62.0%. The Panthers allowed the Dragons to make 30 of their 62 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.4% in this game. They shot 15.8% from beyond the perimeter via 3 of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 14 at the charity stripe (78.6%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Pittsburgh permitted Drexel to get 25 in total (9 offensive).

Justin Champagnie ended up playing a lot for the Panthers in the matchup. He made 7 of 11 in this contest for a rate of 63.6%, which gave him 19 points. Champagnie grabbed 7 rebounds in his 38 minutes and accumulated 2 assists for the game. An additional guy who came through for Pittsburgh was Xavier Johnson. He racked up 27 points in his 37 minutes played by way of 9 of 13 from the floor for this game. Johnson wrapped this one up going 69.2% from the field as well as earning 8 assists and 6 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northern Illinois (+14.5)

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