Northern Illinois Huskies vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Ball State Cardinals

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Worthen Arena in Muncie, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Ball State Cardinals (6-13) are welcoming the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-12) at Worthen Arena on Saturday.

The Northern Illinois Huskies faced off with Ohio and went home with a loss by a final score of 80-77 in their last game. Northern Illinois finished with a 45.3% FG percentage (24 out of 53) and knocked down 9 out of their 20 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Huskies made 20 of their 27 tries for a rate of 74.1%. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 28 with 9 of them being offensive. They also dished out 8 assists in the game as well as creating 13 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Concerning defense, Northern Illinois allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 27 out of 54 shooting. Ohio earned 12 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. On top of that, Ohio collected 26 rebounds (7 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Ohio went 72.0% from the charity stripe by converting 18 of 25 attempts. They also knocked down 8 of 19 attempts from 3-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Huskies left the arena with 22 and Ohio recorded 22 fouls.

Dylan Ducommun is a player who was a major factor for this game. He ended up going 57.1% from the field and also dished out 2 assists. He was on the court for 31 mins played and also totaled 3 rebounds. He notched 23 points on 8 out of 14 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Northern Illinois comes into this contest with a mark of 6-12 so far this year. They average 74.1 pts per contest (246th in college hoops) while hitting 42.4% from the field. The Huskies are shooting 32.1% on 3-pointers (153 of 477) and 67.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Northern Illinois is snagging 36.7 rebounds per game and has earned 236 dimes on the season, which is 315th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 15.8 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 19.6 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Huskies are able to force 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.8 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 153rd in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 254 surrendered this season. The Huskies defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 47.8% (491 of 1,028) and they relinquish 32.8 boards per contest as a squad. They give up 32.7% from 3-point land and they are ranked 287th in college in PPG from their opponents (77.7).

In their last game, the Ball State Cardinals got the win with a final of 68-67 when they played Central Michigan. The Cardinals corralled 19 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 5 times, while getting 8 steals in this game. Central Michigan earned 12 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Cardinals to the charity stripe for a total of 11 shots. They were able to bury 8 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 72.7%. When discussing 3-pointers, Ball State knocked down 8 of 25 tries (32.0%). Overall, the Cardinals went 26 out of 62 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.9%. The Cardinals allowed Central Michigan to make 25 of their 52 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.1% in the matchup. They finished 63.2% from downtown by connecting on 12 of 19 and ended up shooting 5 out of 10 at the charity stripe (50.0%). Regarding how they attacked the glass, Ball State permitted Central Michigan to get 30 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Armoni Zeigler pitched in for the Cardinals for the game. He racked up 17 points in his 33 minutes of playing time and had 4 assists for the contest. He converted 7 of 14 in the game for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 7 rebounds.

Ball State has a win-loss mark of 6-13 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cardinals are connecting on 42.2% from the floor, which is ranked 319th in college hoops. Ball State has scored 1,300 points on the season (68.4 per contest) and they pull in 31.8 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.8 times per game (277th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.6 times per contest. The Cardinals have committed 15.6 fouls per contest while shooting 70.3% from the free throw line.

The Ball State defense allows 35.9% on three-point shots (157 of 437) and their opposition knocks down 74.5% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.9 dimes and 35.7 boards on a nightly basis, which is 229th and 249th in those categories. The Cardinals on the defensive side of the court are 104th in the nation in points allowed per contest with 70.6. They have forced 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.8% from the field (288th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.