Ohio Bobcats vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 1/19/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Ohio Bobcats vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Location: NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Ohio (-8)

The Northern Illinois Huskies (2-10) host the Ohio Bobcats (7-6) at NIU Convocation Center on Tuesday. Ohio opens this matchup as 8-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 139.

Ohio comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 7-6 for the season. The Bobcats are connecting on 37.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (119 of 319) and 68.1% from the free throw line. They are averaging 79.8 points per outing (52nd in college hoops) while going 48.5% from the field. They turn it over 11.7 times per contest and as a squad they commit 16.0 fouls per game. As a team, Ohio is pulling in 31.9 boards per game and has accounted for 235 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 13th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. When they are on defense, the Bobcats are forcing their opponents into 14.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are 299th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 189 conceded on the year. The Bobcats defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 46.2% (343 of 742) and they concede 33.7 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 35.6% on shots from downtown and they are 265th in D-1 in PPG allowed (74.5).

The Ohio Bobcats faced the Kent State Golden Flashes and took a loss by a score of 89-79 in their last game. Ohio finished the contest having earned a 42.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 63) and converted 14 out of their 36 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Bobcats knocked down 11 of 14 shots for a percentage of 78.6%. With regard to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 20 with 5 of them being offensive. They also dished out 20 dimes for the game while getting 6 steals and 2 blocks. In terms of defending, Ohio allowed their opponent to shoot 42.9% from the floor on 27 of 63 shooting. Kent State distributed 18 assists and had 2 steals in this game. On top of that, the Golden Flashes collected 39 boards (11 offensive, 28 defensive) and had 2 blocked shots. Kent State finished 66.7% from the charity stripe by making 10 of 15 attempts. They knocked down 9 of their 25 tries from beyond the perimeter.

Ben Vander Plas is a player who played a role in the matchup. He left the arena with 24 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. He played for 32 mins played and also grabbed 2 rebounds. Plas ended up shooting 60.0% from the floor and also totaled 5 dimes. One more player that was a determining factor in the game for the Bobcats was Jason Preston. He pulled down 5 rebounds and also accounted for 10 assists. He finished shooting 57.1% from the field in this matchup by shooting 8-of-14 (23 points). At the conclusion of this game, Preston was on the court for 38 min.

Northern Illinois has a record of 2-10 on the season. As an offense, the Huskies are shooting 39.8% from the floor, which is 326th in D-1. Northern Illinois has accumulated 713 pts this season (59.4 per contest) and they average 36.2 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 10.5 times per contest (318th in college basketball) and they turn it over 15.0 times per contest. The Huskies have committed 17.7 fouls per game and they hit 62.4% from the charity stripe. The Huskies on defense are ranked 279th in college basketball in points given up per game with 75.1. They give up 17.2 assists and 34.8 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 336th and 158th in those categories. The Northern Illinois defense allows 38.2% on 3-pointers (116 of 304) and opponents are knocking down 65.9% of their foul shots. They are forcing 10.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.2% from the floor (321st in D-1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a loss by a final score of 78-58 when they played the Ball State Cardinals. The Huskies were able to collect 23 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in the game. They also rejected 2 tries while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Cardinals were called for 12 personal fouls in the game which took the Huskies to the free throw line for 8 tries. They were able to bury 6 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. In the matter of shots from distance, Northern Illinois converted 8 out of 23 attempts (34.8%). When this game wrapped up, the Huskies finished the game shooting 22 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 34.9%. The Huskies allowed the Cardinals to convert 26 of 56 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 46.4% for the matchup. They shot 38.1% from distance by hitting 8 of 21 and walked away from this one shooting 18 out of 24 from the charity stripe (75.0%). In the matter of team rebounding, Northern Illinois permitted Ball State to pull down 36 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Zool Kueth ended up being a major contributor for the Huskies in the matchup. He converted 5 out of 9 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 55.6%, which had him finishing with 15 points. Kueth snagged 2 boards in his 23 mins and had 2 assists in this contest. An additional guy that played a role for Northern Illinois was Trendon Hankerson. He ended up scoring 12 points in 40 minutes played by way of 4 out of 16 shooting for this game. Hankerson wrapped this one up going 25.0% from the floor in addition to earning 3 assists and 4 total rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Illinois (+8)

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