Northern Illinois Huskies vs Buffalo Bulls Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Buffalo Bulls

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: Alumni Arena in Buffalo, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Northern Illinois Huskies (8-16) are traveling to Alumni Arena on Tuesday where they will play the Buffalo Bulls (15-10).

The Northern Illinois Huskies faced off with Central Michigan and went home with a loss by a final score of 88-46 in their last game. Northern Illinois wrapped up the game having earned a 27.3% FG percentage (15 of 55) and buried 4 of their 20 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Huskies buried 12 of their 27 attempts for a rate of 44.4%. In reference to pulling down boards, they collected 29 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 6 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When discussing defense, Northern Illinois allowed the other team to go 62.7% from the field on 37 out of 59 shooting. Central Michigan distributed 18 assists and had 9 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Central Michigan collected 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Central Michigan finished 70.0% from the free throw line by burying 7 of their 10 attempts. They also converted 7 of their 11 tries from distance. Concerning personal fouls, the Huskies finished with 13 while Central Michigan recorded 22 personal fouls.

Makhai Valentine is one player who was a factor in the game. He went 44.4% from the floor but had no assists at the end of the game. He saw the court for 33 mins played and snagged 6 boards. He was able to score 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting.

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Northern Illinois heads into this one with a record of 8-16 for the season. They are giving up possession 15.2 times per game and as a squad are committing 18.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Northern Illinois is snagging 35.8 boards per game and has accounted for 306 assists on the year, which ranks 323rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Huskies are connecting on 31.5% on three-point shots (198 of 629) and 66.4% from the free throw line. They have an average of 71.0 pts per contest (293rd in Division 1) while shooting 41.5% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Huskies are able to force 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.3 personal fouls. They are 136th in the country in allowing assists with 332 conceded for the year. The Huskies defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 47.6% (648 of 1,361) and they surrender 33.5 rebounds per contest as a group. They are relinquishing 32.2% from beyond the arc and they are 254th in D-1 in opponents PPG (76.5).

In their last game, the Buffalo Bulls took home the win by a final score of 63-53 when they played Ball State. In the matter of rebounds, Buffalo permitted Ball State to snag 24 in all (7 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 33.3% from three-point range via 8 of 24 and ended up going 7 of 9 at the free throw line (77.8%). The Bulls permitted Ball State to make 19 out of 54 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 35.2% in this contest. When all was said and done, the Bulls ended up going 21 out of 48 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.8%. When talking about 3-point attempts, Buffalo converted 6 out of 19 attempts (31.6%). They were able to make 15 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 88.2%. Ball State earned 14 personal fouls for the contest which got the Bulls to the charity stripe for 17 attempts. They turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 8 steals in the matchup. The Bulls were able to pull down 24 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 31 in the game.

Tim Oboh pitched in for the Bulls in this matchup. He converted 8 out of 10 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 80.0%, and had 8 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 29 mins on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Buffalo has a win-loss mark of 15-10 on the campaign. The Bulls are responsible for committing 16.2 fouls every game and they hit 74.1% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.8 times per game (124th in college) and they are turning it over 10.9 times per game. Buffalo has scored 1,966 pts for the year (78.6 per game) and they pull in 32.4 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Bulls are connecting on 47.6% from the floor, which ranks them 54th in Division 1.

The Bulls defensively are ranked 217th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 74.8. They are able to force 11.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.6% from the field (310th in the country). The Buffalo defense gives up 33.8% on shots from distance (206 of 610) and their opposition knocks down 72.9% of their free throw shots. They allow 15.5 assists and 32.9 total boards per game, which is 314th and 90th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

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