The Northern Illinois Huskies will look to boost their win total and cover the spread when they tip off against the Buffalo Bulls at NIU Convocation Center on Saturday in NCAAB play.

The Bulls will try to spoil to the party on Saturday; they are 7-9 ATS against the number this season, while the Huskies are 7-8 ATS. Buffalo is 8-8 on the totals; Northern Illinois is 5-10.



View Buffalo vs Northern Illinois Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
College basketball odds makers opened the Huskies as 15.5-point underdogs in this matchupl.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 306-ranked Huskies and the No. 26-rated Bulls in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 74-52 win for the Bulls on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Northern Illinois's No. 339 nationally ranked offense (55.4 points per game) against a Bulls defense that sits as the No. 132 at 65.3 PPG. The Huskies have been averaging 36.9% from the field, less than the Bulls have managed so far this season (46.3% on average).

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Buffalo owns the country's No. 135-rated mark, allowing 68.5 points per game on the highway. Northern Illinois, on the other hand, rates No. 338 in scoring at home.

Buffalo won its last outing, a 65-47 result against Eastern Michigan on January 24. They covered in that game as a 13.5-point favorite. Buffalo got 17 points from Javon McCrea en route to a 65-47 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday at Alumni Arena.

Last time out for Northern Illinois, they were a 90-56 loser as they battled Kent State on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 19.5-point underdog. Northern Illinois was run off the court by the Golden Flashes on Wednesday as Kent State routed them 90-56 at Memorial Athletic Center.


Buffalo Bulls Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Ball State are 7-3
After playing Eastern Michigan are 3-7
After a win are 6-4

Northern Illinois Huskies Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Ohio are 4-6
After playing Kent State are 4-6
After a loss are 2-8

A few Bulls at Huskies trends to consider:
Buffalo is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Northern Illinois's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Northern Illinois's last 9 games when playing Buffalo
Northern Illinois is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Buffalo
Northern Illinois is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games at home


Next up:
Buffalo home to Ball State, Wednesday, February 1
Northern Illinois home to Ohio, Wednesday, February 1