The Marquette Golden Eagles (7-3) will be at home in BMO Harris Bradley Center when they meet the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-4). Marquette is an 18-point favorite on the opening line, while the games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 155 points. Action starts at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, December 18, 2017.
Northern Illinois Huskies at Marquette Golden Eagles Free Preview
The Huskies were victorious over the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in their last game, 61-55. With 16 points and nine rebounds, Northern Illinois Levi Bradley had a good performance. Northern Illinois played a nearly flawless game. They had a superb free throw rate of 0.298 (above their season average of 0.241) and a turnover percentage of 16.1 (worse than their season average of 14.0). Central Connecticut State recorded marks of 0.151 and 22.7, respectively, for those same stats.
In the Golden Eagles last matchup, they thoroughly outplayed the Wisconsin Badgers, 82-63. With 24 points on 6-for-9 shooting, Andrew Rowsey was the games leading scorer. The Golden Eagles, who came into the game averaging an effective field goal percentage of 0.570, had a phenomenal mark of 0.655 and had a turnover percentage of 13.2 (better than their season average of 15.2).
Marquette should have the advantage on the offensive side of the ball. The Golden Eagles currently rank 19th in offensive efficiency, while the Huskies rank 175th in defensive efficiency.
Both of these teams have a tendency to finish over the O/U total. Northern Illinois games have finished over 66.7 percent of the time, while games involving Marquette have finished over 62.5 percent of the time. Looking at straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records, the Golden Eagles have a significant advantage. They are 7-3 SU and 4-5 ATS, while the Huskies are 6-4 SU and 3-3 ATS.
Northern Illinois Huskies at Marquette Golden Eagles ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Marquette, ATS Winner – Northern Illinois, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Golden Eagles rank 64th in assists per game (15.5) while the Huskies rank 150th in assists allowed per game (14.2).
- Marquette averages 4.2 blocks per game, which ranks 59th in the NCAA. Northern Illinois ranks 139th in blocks allowed per game (4.1).
- Marquette ranks 12th in three pointers attempted per game (28.9) while Northern Illinois ranks 257th (16.4).
- The Golden Eagles rank 45th in rebounds allowed per game (32.2) while the Huskies rank 184th (36.9).
- Northern Illinois ranks 41st in steals per game (7.9) while Marquette ranks 137th (5.9).
Bettings Trends:
- The Golden Eagles average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.2, up from 6.4 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Huskies have scored an average of 80.6 points per game (3.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 70.8 points per game (0.9 below their season average).
