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Northern Illinois vs Chicago State Odds and Picks (Dec. 13)

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in College Basketball

Updated Dec 13, 2021 · 9:05 AM PST

Adong Makuoi makes a move down low
Northern Illinois' Adong Makuoi, left, looks to shoot in front of Missouri's Kobe Brown, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
  • The Northern Illinois Huskies are 2-point road favorites over the Chicago State Cougars in a rare afternoon NCAA men’s basketball game slated for Monday, December 13
  • Both the Cougars (3-6) and Huskies (2-6) are struggling this season
  • Read below for analysis and a betting prediction

As certain as wind, deep dish pizza and controversy over the Bears’ starting quarterback, there’s another surety that can be counted on in Chicago.

That would be the Northern Illinois Huskies beating the Chicago State Cougars on the basketball court.

These two schools will meet for the fifth straight year on Monday. Northern Illinois has won in each of the past four years. In fact, this will be the 28th all-time meeting between the Huskies and Cougars. Northern Illinois is 27-0 straight up in the series.

Not surprising then that it’s the Huskies who are the 2-point chalk in this game. However, the Cougars are 4-0 against the spread at home this season.

Northern Illinois vs Chicago State Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Northern Illinois Huskies -126 -2 (-105) O 126.5 (-110)
Chicago State Cougars +105 +2 (-115) U 126.5 (-110)

Odds as of December 12th at FanDuel.

Tipoff for Monday’s game is a rare afternoon affair, with a 1pm ET start at the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center. The broadcast is being live streamed by ESPN+.

Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Trends

The Huskies will be looking to bring a halt to their five-game away losing streak. They couldn’t pick a better place to do so. Northern Illinois is 11-0 SU all-time at Chicago State.

Northern Illinois has covered the 2-point spread set for this game in each of the Huskies’ last 18 victories over the Cougars. NIU is holding its opponents to just 29.6% shooting from 3-point range, second-best in the Mid-American Conference and 67th nationally. The Huskies also rank second in the MAC in blocks (4.3 per game) and turnovers forced (15.0 per contest).

Individually, sophomore guard Keshawn Williams paces the Northern Illinois offense with 11.9 points per game. Senior guard Trendon Hankerson is also in double digits at 11.1 ppg. Senior guard Anthony Crump is the Huskies’ top rebounder (4.3 rebounds per game) and junior guard Kaleb Thornton leads the team in assists (3.3 assists per game).

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Chicago State Cougars Betting Trends

Since opening the season with victories over Minnesota’s St Thomas Tommies and SIEU, the Cougars are 1-5. Their only other win came against East Tennessee State.

Junior guard Brandon Betson is scoring a team-leading 15.6 points per game. Freshman guard Jahsean Corbett is netting 11.4 ppg and leads the Cougars in rebounds (7.4 per game).  He scored 17 points in Chicago State’s last game, an 80-71 loss to Illinois State. Senior guard Coreyoun Rushin is adding 8.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg.

The loss to Illinois State halted Chicago State’s perfect home record. The Cougars are 3-1 straight up this season at Jones Convocation Center.

Cougars vs Huskies Prediction

Something is going to have to give. Both of these schools are dynamite against the spread. Northern Illinois is 8-0 ATS, while Chicago State is 8-1 ATS.

Neither team is very good at protecting the ball. The Huskies commit 15.4 turnovers per game, making them the 38th-worst in the nation in this department. Right behind them are the Cougars, who are 40th in the country, committing 15.3 turnovers per game.

They don’t distribute the ball very effectively, either. The Huskies are 355th in assists per game (8.8) and the Cougars are 340th (10.2). In terms of scoring defense, Northern Illinois rates 191st in the country (68.8 ppg) and Chicago State is 281st (73.0 ppg).

The best bet in this game might be the under on the total of 126.5 points. Six of eight Northern Illinois games have gone under. Meanwhile, the under has been the play in five of nine Chicago State games.

The Huskies rank 357th in the NCAA in scoring offense at 54.6 points per game. They scored just 19 second-half points in their last game, a 79-41 drubbing handed them by Dayton. Chicago State is 332nd, hitting for 62.1 points per game.

Picks: Northern Illinois Huskies -2 (-105), Under 126.5 points (-110)

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