Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, 2/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026

Location: McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Northern Illinois Huskies (8-15) are en route to McGuirk Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Central Michigan Chippewas (7-17).

The Northern Illinois Huskies stepped onto the hardwood against Bowling Green and ended up losing by a score of 68-52 in their last contest. Northern Illinois finished having earned a 31.6% FG percentage (18 of 57) and knocked down 5 of their 27 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Huskies converted 11 of their 15 tries for a rate of 73.3%. When talking about hauling in boards, they collected 29 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 14 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 4 steals. In regard to the defense, Northern Illinois allowed 50.0% from the field on 27 out of 54 shooting. Bowling Green recorded 13 dimes and had 13 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Bowling Green collected 34 rebounds (3 offensive, 31 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Bowling Green finished shooting 81.8% at the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of their 11 shots. They made 5 of 16 attempts from 3-point range. In the matter of fouls, the Huskies ended up with 9 while Bowling Green finished the game with 17 fouls.

Makhai Valentine is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He totaled 15 points on 4 out of 13 shooting. He played for 33 mins played and also pulled down 3 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 30.8% from the field and totaled 2 dimes.

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Northern Illinois will play this game with a mark of 8-15 for the season. They are turning it over 15.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Northern Illinois is snagging 36.0 rebounds per game and has totaled 300 dimes this year, which is 303rd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Huskies are hitting 31.9% on 3-point shots (194 of 609) and 67.5% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 72.1 points per contest (277th in the nation) while hitting 42.1% from the floor.

On defense, the Huskies are able to force 12.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.1 fouls. They are giving up 31.5% on shots from downtown and they rank 246th in college in points per game allowed (76.0). The Huskies are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.9% (611 of 1,302) and they relinquish 33.3 boards per contest as a squad. They currently rank 130th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 314 relinquished for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Central Michigan Chippewas took a loss by a score of 85-80 against Louisiana. The Chippewas were able to pull down 13 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards totaling 17 in this game. They gave up possession 9 times, while earning 7 steals in this game. Louisiana was called for 15 personal fouls for this game which got the Chippewas to the charity stripe for a total of 21 shots. They were able to knock down 15 of them for a rate of 71.4%. With regard to shots from distance, Central Michigan knocked down 9 out of their 19 attempts (47.4%). When the game finished, the Chippewas ended up shooting 28 out of 49 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 57.1%. The Chippewas allowed Louisiana to convert 30 of their 58 attempts from the field which had them at 51.7% in this game. They went 50.0% from three-point range by shooting 9 of 18 and walked away from this one shooting 16 of 19 at the free throw line (84.2%). When it comes to how they rebounded, Central Michigan permitted Louisiana to collect 28 in total (13 offensive).

Tamario Adley pitched in for the Chippewas for this contest. He knocked down 8 of 13 in this matchup giving him a rate of 61.5%, and added 1 rebound. He earned 21 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 3 dimes for this game.

Central Michigan has a win-loss record of 7-17 this season. The Chippewas have committed 17.7 fouls every game and they hit 70.5% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 15.3 times per game (105th in college hoops) and they are giving up possession 12.6 times per game. Central Michigan has earned 1,761 points this season (73.4 per contest) and they collect 32.9 boards per game. As an offense, the Chippewas are hitting on 46.1% from the floor, which ranks 137th in Division 1.

The Chippewas on the defensive end are ranked 305th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 78.6. They are forcing their opponents into 11.9 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.6% from the field (310th in college). The Central Michigan defense concedes 34.8% on 3-pointers (194 of 558) and opponents are making 69.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 16.1 dimes and 35.9 rebounds per game, which is 334th and 264th in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northern Illinois

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