Mid-American foes will collide when the Northern Illinois Huskies (16-5) challenge the Buffalo Bulls (12-9) at Convocation Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and can be seen on ES3.
The Huskies are hoping to rebound after their 72-59 loss to Miami (OH) on Saturday. Marshawn Wilson was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-68 win against Toledo on Saturday. CJ Massinburg played well for Buffalo, accounting for 13 points, four steals, and four rebounds.
Northern Illinois is a four-point favorite against Buffalo and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 139 points. The Huskies have gone 16-5 Straight Up (SU) and 10-6 Against The Spread (ATS). It’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Huskies. The 64.4 points that Northern Illinois’s defense allows per game makes them the 30th-ranked defense in the country. Northern Illinois’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Huskies allow a .384 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country.
In the other locker room, the Bulls have 12-9 SU and 9-8-2 ATS records.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Buffalo won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 10-0. With a 7-3 record, the Bulls also have the advantage ATS. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – NIU, ATS Winner – NIU, O/U – Over
Notes
Northern Illinois is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games.
Northern Illinois is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Northern Illinois’s last 14 games when playing Buffalo.
Northern Illinois is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Buffalo.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northern Illinois’s last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo.
Northern Illinois is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo.
Buffalo scores an average of just 75.7 points per game (ranked 126th). Northern Illinois ranks 30th in points allowed, giving up 64.4 points per game.
The Northern Illinois Huskies have a defensive rating of 92.1 (ranked 10th), while the Buffalo Bulls have an offensive rating of 104.9 (ranked 194th).
The Northern Illinois Huskies average a field goal percentage of 43.5% this season. The Buffalo Bulls are 4-5 when opponents have a FG% of 43.5% or greater.
The Northern Illinois Huskies rank lower for their field goal percentage (214th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (210th), but the Buffalo Bulls have a better FG% ranking (235th) than eFG% ranking (241st).
Northern Illinois ranks 86th in assists, registering 15.0 per game. Buffalo performs worse at 227th with 12.7 assists per game.
Northern Illinois ranks 54th in offensive rebounding. When it comes to defensive rebounds, Buffalo ranks 92nd.
Buffalo makes an average of 7.0 steals per game. Northern Illinois has a winning 4-2 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
