Kent State Golden Flashes vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 3/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Location: NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Kent State Golden Flashes (21-8) are headed to NIU Convocation Center on Tuesday where they will take on the Northern Illinois Huskies (9-18).

The Kent State Golden Flashes took the court against Akron and took a loss by a final of 92-70 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Golden Flashes walked away with 14 while Akron finished the game with 14 personal fouls. They converted 14 of their 28 tries from beyond the arc. Akron ended up going 77.8% at the free throw line by burying 14 of their 18 shots. Moreover, Akron collected 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Akron totaled 20 assists and had 7 steals in this game. In reference to the defense, Kent State let their opponent shoot 55.2% from the floor on 32 of 58 shooting. They also distributed 17 dimes for this contest while forcing 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In reference to hauling in boards, they earned 25 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Golden Flashes buried 5 of 11 tries for a rate of 45.5%. Kent State walked away from the game having earned a 43.3% FG percentage (26 out of 60) and knocked down 13 out of their 32 3-point shots.

Morgan Safford is one player who played a role for this contest. He walked away with 15 points on 6 out of 11 shooting. He was on the court for 32 minutes played and also snagged 2 boards. He finished the game shooting 54.5% from the field and also dished out 1 assist.

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Kent State steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 21-8 this season. They are averaging 85.0 points per outing (21st in college) while hitting 45.5% from the floor. The Golden Flashes are hitting 35.5% on shots from beyond the arc (282 of 795) and 73.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Kent State is grabbing 39.8 rebounds per game and has tallied 472 dimes for the campaign, which is 55th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 13.8 times per game and as a group they commit 19.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Golden Flashes are forcing 12.3 turnovers every game while drawing 21.1 fouls. They currently rank 299th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 431 surrendered on the campaign. The Golden Flashes defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 43.9% (789 of 1,797) and they surrender 34.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are giving up 34.8% on shots from distance and they are ranked 331st in college hoops in points per game allowed (80.1).

For their last game, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a defeat with a final score of 79-43 when they played Ball State. The Huskies were able to pull down 19 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 22 for this game. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 5 steals in this matchup. Ball State was called for 19 personal fouls in this game which took the Huskies to the charity stripe for a total of 23 shots. They were able to knock down 17 of the free throws for a percentage of 73.9%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Northern Illinois knocked down 4 of their 17 tries (23.5%). In all, the Huskies went 11 out of 43 from the floor which had them at 25.6%. The Huskies allowed Ball State to knock down 30 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 50.0% in this contest. They finished the game shooting 44.0% from three-point range by shooting 11 out of 25 and finished the contest at 8 out of 10 at the charity stripe (80.0%). Regarding attacking the glass, Northern Illinois allowed Ball State to snag 34 in all (8 on the offensive side).

Daemar Kelly ended up having an impact for the Huskies for the contest. He knocked down 2 out of 5 for the game for a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He accumulated 9 points in his 20 mins on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Northern Illinois has a record of 9-18 this season. As an offense, the Huskies are shooting 42.2% from the floor, which is ranked 323rd in college. Northern Illinois has accounted for 1,912 points so far this season (70.8 per game) and they average 35.4 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 13.1 times per game (244th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.0 times per game. The Huskies are committing 18.6 fouls every game while shooting 66.1% from the free throw line.

The Huskies are ranked 248th in college in points given up per game with 76.3. They have forced 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 47.6% from the floor (336th in D-1). The Northern Illinois defense concedes 32.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (189 of 576) and their opponents are connecting on 72.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 14.1 dimes and 33.2 total rebounds per game, which ranks 240th and 100th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kent State

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