Northern Illinois vs. Michigan State 12/29/18, Prediction & Odds

Huskies vs. Spartans Prediction

The eighth-ranked Michigan State Spartans are 6-0 at home this season heaidng into today's battle against the Northern Illinois Huskies. Is the under the right bet to make with NIU playing at one of the slower paces in the country?

Game Snapshot

607 Northern Illinois Huskies at 608 Michigan State Spartans

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Breslin Center at 2PM ET

TV: BTN

Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page.

 

Public Betting Information

Oddsmakers at BetNow.eu have set the Spartans as a 24-point favorite on the spread line. The total sits at 155.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 65 percent of public bets are being placed on host Michigan State. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info on where bettors are placing their money.

Huskies roll past Chicago State

Northern Illinois hit the century mark last Saturday in a 100-59 home win over the Cougars. The Huskies (7-5) jumped out to a 41-24 halftime lead en route to the win. Northern Illinois shot 34-of-61 from the floor including 14-of-28 from 3-point range plus 18-of-23 at the free throw line. Eugene German paced the Huskies with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He added three assists and two rebounds. Levi Bradley tallied 16 points along with five boards and three assists. Zaire Mateen contributed 15 points and two steals off the bench. Dante Thorpe added 14 points and two caroms. 

Spartans down Oakland by 30

Michigan State improved to 10-2 on the season last Friday with a 99-69 victory over the Golden Grizzlies. The Spartans led 45-32 at halftime and did not have any issues from there. Michigan State shot 38-of-65 from the floor, 13-of-30 from 3-point range and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Cassius Winston paced MSU with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting plus 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 at the free throw line. He also dished out three assists. Nick Ward accounted for 14 points and seven rebounds. Joshua Langford added 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

College Basketball Betting Trends

Northern Illinois

The over is 5-1 in the last six Huskies road games. The over is 8-2 in the last 10 Northern Illinois games overall.

Michigan State

The over is 5-1 in the last six Spartans games overall. The under is 4-1 in the last five MSU games on Saturdays.

Prediction:

Michigan State has the third-ranked offense in the country while it's defense is solid but a couple steps behind where its offense is at. Northern Illinois plays at a slow pace, ranked 290th in the country in tempo, but that is offset by outstanding offensive efficiency as it is ranked 40th in the country. I think the points will come in bunches here and these two squads will race to the over.

 

NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: NORTHERN ILLINOIS/MICHIGAN STATE OVER 155.5