Halftime Report
Fortunes may be turning around for Kent State after losing three in a row. They have jumped out to a quick 40-35 lead against N. Illinois.
If Kent State keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 9-8 in no time. On the other hand, N. Illinois will have to make due with a 6-11 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Kent State Golden Flashes @ N. Illinois Huskies
Current Records: Kent State 8-8, N. Illinois 6-10
How To Watch
What to Know
Kent State and N. Illinois are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. Both teams will face off in a Mid American battle at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Convocation Center. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Kent State and six for N. Illinois.
The point spread may have favored Kent State last Saturday, but the final result did not. The match between the Golden Flashes and the Chippewas wasn’t particularly close, with the Golden Flashes falling 77-62. Kent State found out winning isn’t easy when your shooting is a whole 24.8% worse than the opposition.
Meanwhile, the Huskies couldn’t handle the Falcons on Saturday and fell 83-72.
The Golden Flashes’ defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 8-8. That poor showing could be blamed on the team’s lackluster offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 61.8 points per game. As for the Huskies, they have not been sharp recently, as they’ve lost nine of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Kent State and N. Illinois are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Kent State hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 77.9 points per game. However, it’s not like N. Illinois struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 77.4 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
As for their next game, Kent State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 3.5 points. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a four-game streak of failing to cover when playing on the road.
Odds
Kent State is a 3.5-point favorite against N. Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 3.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 150 points.
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Series History
N. Illinois and Kent State both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Mar 09, 2023 – Kent State 76 vs. N. Illinois 57
- Jan 24, 2023 – N. Illinois 86 vs. Kent State 76
- Mar 01, 2022 – Kent State 63 vs. N. Illinois 55
- Jan 11, 2022 – N. Illinois 65 vs. Kent State 63
- Feb 13, 2021 – Kent State 80 vs. N. Illinois 58
- Feb 07, 2020 – N. Illinois 57 vs. Kent State 54
- Jan 21, 2020 – N. Illinois 76 vs. Kent State 69
- Jan 19, 2019 – Kent State 78 vs. N. Illinois 68
- Mar 05, 2018 – Kent State 61 vs. N. Illinois 59
- Jan 02, 2018 – N. Illinois 75 vs. Kent State 61
