Northern Illinois vs Sam Houston State Odds & Picks (Nov. 22)

• Sam Houston State is a 9.5-point favorite in the Northern Illinois on Tuesday (Nov. 22) at the Fort Myers Tip-off
• The Bearkats are undefeated so far, while the Huskies have just one win through four games
• See the Northern Illinois vs Sam Houston State odds and betting prediction

Two programs going in very different directions meet on Tuesday at the Fort Myers tip-off. Sam Houston State (4-0, 2-0 away), fresh off four straight victories to begin the campaign, takes on a Northern Illinois program (1-3, 0-2 away) that’s struggled to stay in games.

Online sportsbooks expect the Huskies rough start to continue, as they pegged the Bearkats as healthy favorites in the college basketball odds.

Northern Illinois vs Sam Houston State Odds

Odds as of November 21 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Claim the DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to bet on the Northern Illinois vs Sam Houston State game.

Sam Houston State is currently laying 9.5-points, in a contest that features a total of 128.5. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon ET at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, FL, and will mark a step down in competition for the Bearkats.

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Sam Houston State Betting Analysis

Sam Houston State has already faced and beaten two Power-5 schools this season. They opened the campaign by shocking Oklahoma 52-51, and then after a couple gimme victories, they took down Utah 65-55 last time out.

Those are the Bearkats first two victories over Power-5 programs since 2009, and their defense is largely to thank. They held OU to 37% from the field, while forcing 21 turnovers. Sam Houston State then limited Utah to 43.5% from the field, while causing 16 turnovers and yielding only five offensive rebounds.

No one’s confusing the Sooners or Utes with National Championship odds contenders, but the wins are impressive nonetheless.

Best start in the last 15 years ✅

Not a bad way to kick off the season! pic.twitter.com/EQr7c7btNy

— Sam Houston Men's Basketball (@BearkatsMBB) November 18, 2022

The Bearkats rank ninth in the nation in scoring defense, and first in all of college hoops in defensive rebounding. They rank fifth in opponent field goal makes and top-20 in steals per play.

Offensively, it’s not pretty, but it hasn’t had to be. They average only 59 points per game, but that’s still six more than they give up. They’re 40% effective field goal percentage suggests future wins against top schools may be tough to come by, however the matchup versus Northern Illinois is about as favorable as they come.

Northern Illinois Betting Analysis

The Huskies check in with a predictive rank of 325th in the country out of 363 D-I schools. They rank 317th in offensive efficiency per KenPom, and 361st, aka third worst in the nation, in effective field goal percentage.

Northern Illinois has already lost to a Division II opponent in Illinois Springfield, and got blown out by Northwestern and Georgia Tech, the lone two D-1 programs they’ve faced.

They mustered an average of only 48 points per game against the Wildcats and Yellow Jackets, shooting 33% versus Northwestern and 27% against Georgia Tech.

Final in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/6H6wGWkDp6

— NIU Men's Basketball (@GoHuskiesMBB) November 18, 2022

Only two players in their regular rotation shoot above 50% from the field, while five have a field goal percentage below 40%.

Defensively, the outlook is nowhere near as bleak, as they’ve done a decent job at limiting enemy shooters. They rank 60th in opponent effective field goal percentage and are 31st at defending the three. The problem is they struggle in nearly every other facet of the game.

They don’t rebound well and they don’t force turnovers. They average less than 10 takeaways per game, while committing 16 turnovers of their own.

Northern Illinois vs Sam Houston State Prediction

The Huskies have looked dreadful in two contests versus quality opposition, and nothing to this point suggests things will be different versus Sam Houston State.

The Bearkats defense will give Northern Illinois fits, and the abundance of steals and offensive boards will lead to plenty of easy buckets.

Sam Houston State’s 2022-23 Results

If a full betting menu was available my first choice would be to bet the under on the Huskies team total. They ranked 337th in adjusted offensive efficiency last year, and so far they’ve picked up right where they left off.

In the absence of team total markets however, we’ll roll with the Bearkats against the spread. They’ve covered in both of their games where a number was listed, while the Huskies have an average loss margin of 17.5 points versus D-1 schools so far.

Pick: Sam Houston State -9.5 (-110)