Half-time report
There’s only one half left between Ohio and the victory they were favored to achieve this afternoon. They have a bit of a lead as they currently lead N. Illinois 57-39.
Ohio came into the game having won four in a row and they are only one half back. Will they reach five, or will Northern Illinois step in and ruin it? We will know soon.
Who’s playing
N. Illinois Huskies @ Ohio Bobcats
Current records: N. Illinois 4-10, Ohio 8-6
How to watch
What you need to know
If the oddsmakers’ predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Ohio. They and the N. Illinois Huskies will face off Saturday in a Mid American battle at 1 p.m. ET at the Convocation Center. The timing is certainly in the Bobcats’ favor as the team has 13 straight home wins (dating back to last season) while the Huskies have been hit with eight straight road losses.
Ohio will enter the game after a wild two-game stretch: they scored just 57 points on Saturday, then bounced back against Buffalo on Tuesday. Ohio won against Buffalo by a score of 88-79.
Ohio relied on the efforts of AJ Clayton, who went 10 of 18 en route to 27 points plus seven rebounds and three blocks, and Aidan Hadaway, who had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Meanwhile, N. Illinois found itself well behind Kent State on Tuesday and lost 68-50.
Ohio has had some incredibly good performances recently as they have won six of their last seven games, which has been a nice improvement to their 8-6 record this season. As for N. Illinois, their loss dropped their record to 4-10.
This competition promises to be an explosion: Ohio has been incredibly precise this season, having made 46.8% of its baskets per game. It’s a different story for N. Illinois, as they’ve made just 40.7 percent of their field goals this season. Given Ohio’s considerable advantage in this area, Northern Illinois will need to find a way to close this gap.
Ohio won against N. Illinois in the teams’ last matchup in February 2024 by a clinching 80-59. Does Ohio have another win up its sleeve, or will N. Illinois turn things around? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Ohio is a heavy 20-point favorite against N. Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of ​​the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bobcats as 20.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 148.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Ohio has won 6 of its last 10 games against N. Illinois.
- February 24, 2024 – Ohio 80 vs. N. Illinois 59
- January 6, 2024 – Ohio 78 vs. N. Illinois 66
- February 21, 2023 – Ohio 77 vs. N. Illinois 68
- February 7, 2023 – Ohio 82 vs. N. Illinois 76
- March 4, 2022 – N. Illinois 58 vs. Ohio 57
- January 25, 2022 – Ohio 74 vs. N. Illinois 62
- January 5, 2021 – Ohio 76 vs. N. Illinois 73
- January 28, 2020 – N. Illinois 61 vs. Ohio 59
- March 11, 2019 – N. Illinois 80 vs. Ohio 61
- January 29, 2019 – N. Illinois 71 vs. Ohio 60
