The Northern Illinois Huskies (4-9) and Akron Zips (8-5) meet Tuesday. Tip at James A. Rhodes Arena is at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Northern Illinois vs. Akron odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
This game marks the MAC opener for both schools.
Northern Illinois returns to action after an 11-day layoff. The Huskies last played on Dec. 22, when they won 67-57 as 17.5-point underdogs at Indiana State. NIU had yielded 86.3 points per game in losing 4 straight before that road win.
The Zips had a Dec. 30 tune-up triumph (84-58) over NCAA-II Concord. Akron is 5-1 straight up and 2-2 against the spread over its last 6 games. Over the last 2 seasons, UA is 15-3 on its home floor.