UMass Minutemen vs Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Minutemen vs Northern Illinois Huskies

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: NIU Convocation Center in Dekalb, IL

TV: ESPN+

NIU Convocation Center is where the Northern Illinois Huskies (5-11) will take on the UMass Minutemen (11-7) on Saturday.

The UMass Minutemen faced off with Western Michigan and walked away with a win by a score of 85-82 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Minutemen ended up walking away with 16 while Western Michigan accounted for 18 personal fouls. They made 12 of their 31 shots from three-point range. Western Michigan shot 75.0% from the charity stripe by making 12 of their 16 attempts. Furthermore, Western Michigan collected 33 rebounds (10 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Western Michigan doled out 18 assists and had 6 steals in this contest. When talking about defense, UMass let their opponent shoot 47.5% from the floor on 29 of 61 shooting. They also doled out 17 assists for the game while forcing 10 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 30 with 9 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Minutemen made 16 of their 20 tries for a rate of 80.0%. UMass finished the contest having earned a 47.5% FG percentage (29 out of 61) and buried 11 of their 29 3-point attempts.

Marcus Banks Jr. is someone who was a factor in the matchup. He shot 44.4% from the floor and recorded 1 assist. He played for 35 minutes played and also pulled down 4 boards. He accounted for 22 points on 8 of 18 shooting.

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UMass comes into this game with a record of 11-7 on the campaign. They average 80.8 points per game (108th in the country) while shooting 46.5% from the field. The Minutemen are connecting on 34.6% on shots from downtown (137 of 396) and 67.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, UMass is collecting 38.5 boards per contest and is sitting with 326 dimes this season, which ranks 16th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.6 times per game and as a group they commit 20.9 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Minutemen are able to force 13.0 turnovers every game and they draw 20.2 personal fouls. They relinquish 28.9% on 3-point attempts and they are 204th in D-1 in opponents points per game (74.4). The Minutemen defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 43.9% (449 of 1,022) and they relinquish 31.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 276th in the country in allowing assists with 256 conceded on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Northern Illinois Huskies took a loss by a final score of 77-59 when they faced Eastern Michigan. The Huskies snagged 27 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in the game. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 5 steals for the game. Eastern Michigan earned 17 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Huskies to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They were able to make 11 of them for a percentage of 57.9%. With respect to shooting from downtown, Northern Illinois knocked down 6 out of 25 tries (24.0%). When all was said and done, the Huskies shot 21 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.6%. The Huskies permitted Eastern Michigan to knock down 30 of 61 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 49.2% for the contest. They finished 27.8% from 3-point land by going 5 out of 18 and finished the game at 12 of 15 from the free throw line (80.0%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Northern Illinois allowed Eastern Michigan to pull down 37 in all (5 on the offensive glass).

Makhai Valentine ended up being a major contributor for the Huskies in this matchup. He totaled 20 points in his 31 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for this contest. He made 5 out of 11 for the game for a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and accounted for 6 rebounds.

Northern Illinois has a record of 5-11 this season. As an offensive team, the Huskies are shooting 42.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 302nd in college. Northern Illinois has totaled 1,186 points so far this year (74.1 per contest) and they grab 36.8 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 13.4 times per game (244th in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.8 times per game. The Huskies commit 19.4 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 66.8% from the free throw line.

The Huskies are ranked 299th in D-1 in PPG given up with 78.1. They are able to force 12.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 48.2% from the field (345th in college hoops). The Northern Illinois defense allows 32.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (118 of 369) and opponents are converting on 71.3% of their foul shots. They have allowed 14.4 dimes and 33.1 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 256th and 101st in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMass

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