The Toledo Rockets (10-5) and the Mid-American’s fourth-ranked offense welcome the Northern Illinois Huskies (13-2) and the top-ranked defense in the conference. Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and will air on ES3.
The Rockets come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping Miami (OH) 84-76 on Saturday. Nathan Boothe was a key piece, recording 25 points and 11 rebounds to notch his sixth double-double of the season. The Huskies are coming off an 80-63 win against Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Marin Maric claimed his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Maric and Travon Baker have upped their production over the last five games for the Huskies. Maric has averaged 16.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, and 1.0 three-pointer during that stretch, while Baker has put up 17.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers.
This battle pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Toledo currently ranks 34th in offensive efficiency and Northern Illinois is seventh in defensive efficiency.
Toledo, a six-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Northern Illinois. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 145 points. The Rockets are looking to build on their records of 10-5 Straight Up (SU) and 7-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Toledo has the 15th-most assists in Division I, averaging 18.3 per game.
On the other side, Northern Illinois has a SU record of 13-2 and an ATS record of 7-3. Northern Illinois is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Huskies average 42.4 rebounds per game, making them the 15th-best team in the country for that category.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference foes played, Northern Illinois won, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The teams also have an even 5-5 record ATS in the most recent meetings. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Toledo and Northern Illinois each held the edge in all three of these categories one time in the last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – NIU, ATS Winner – NIU, O/U – Under
Notes
Toledo is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Toledo is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home.
Toledo is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Northern Illinois.
Toledo stands at an even 1-1 against conference rivals, while Northern Illinois is undefeated against its conference (2-0).
Toledo averages 87.4 points per home game (ranked 29th). Northern Illinois allows 67.2 points per away game (ranked 28th).
Ranked 63rd, the Northern Illinois Huskies have an offensive rating of 112.0. The Toledo Rockets rank 199th with a defensive rating of just 103.0.
The Toledo Rockets average a field goal percentage of 47.2% this season. The Northern Illinois Huskies have split their games this season (1-1) when opponents have a FG% of 47.2% or greater.
The Toledo Rockets rank lower for their field goal percentage (52nd) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (40th), but the Northern Illinois Huskies have a better FG% ranking (162nd) than eFG% ranking (170th).
Toledo ranks among the best in the nation in assists at 15th (18.3 assists per game). Northern Illinois is ranked 49th with 16.3 assists per game.
Ranked 15th in the nation, Northern Illinois averages 42.4 rebounds per game. Toledo ranks lower at 155th with 37.4 RPG.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Northern Illinois ranks 20th. Toledo ranks 79th in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 22.3% when playing Northern Illinois this season. Toledo is undefeated this season (1-0) when its TO% is 22.3% or higher.
