The Cardinals will try to cover the spread at Worthen Arena on Saturday when they get a visit from the Northern Illinois Huskies in college basketball action.

This season, the Cardinals are 17-12 overall and 15-9-2 ATS ATS, while the Huskies are 9-19 and 12-10-1 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Ball State boasts a 15-11 on the OU, and Northern Illinois is 13-9.



View Northern Illinois vs Ball State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're going with the Cardinals in this one, they're listed as 10.5-point favorites on the NCAAB betting menu for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 123-ranked Cardinals and the No. 251-rated Huskies in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 72-64 win for the Cardinals on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Ball State has the nation's No. 217-rated offensive output, at 67.3 PPG. The visiting Huskies defense ranks No. 299 allowing on average 73.5 PPG. The Cardinals FG% has averaged 44.7% so far, more than the Huskies marksmen have achieved on the year, 42.2% per game.

Defensively, Northern Illinois features the nation's No. 286-rated defense on the road, allowing 75.7 points per game. Ball State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 198 nationally in scoring at home.

Northern Illinois won its last outing, a 66-49 result against Eastern Michigan on March 2. They covered in that game as a 1-point favorite. The Huskies grabbed a 66-49 win over the Eagles on Wednesday, behind a 17-point effort from Jeremy Landers at NIU Convocation Center.

Last time out for Ball State, they were an 87-70 loser as they battled Western Michigan on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 4.5-point underdog. Ball State suffered an 87-70 loss against Western Michigan on Wednesday, getting 13 points from Malik Perry in a losing effort at University Arena.


Northern Illinois Huskies Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 2-8
After playing Eastern Michigan are 4-6
After a win are 3-7

Ball State Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
After playing Western Michigan are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4

A few Huskies at Cardinals trends to consider:
Northern Illinois is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Ball State
Northern Illinois is 3-19 SU in its last 22 games on the road
Ball State is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Ball State's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ball State's last 7 games at home
Ball State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Northern Illinois