Ball State plays Northern Illinois after Hill’s 21-point showing

By Canadian Press on February 15, 2025.

Northern Illinois Huskies (5-19, 1-10 MAC) at Ball State Cardinals (12-12, 5-6 MAC)

Muncie, Indiana; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cardinals -8.5; over/under is 148.5

BOTTOM LINE: Ball State faces Northern Illinois after Jermahri Hill scored 21 points in Ball State’s 86-84 overtime victory against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

The Cardinals are 6-5 in home games. Ball State is fifth in the MAC in team defense, giving up 74.5 points while holding opponents to 44.4% shooting.

The Huskies are 1-10 against MAC opponents. Northern Illinois is fifth in the MAC with 23.4 defensive rebounds per game led by TJ Copeland Jr. averaging 5.0.

Ball State’s average of 7.3 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.8 fewer made shots on average than the 8.1 per game Northern Illinois allows. Northern Illinois averages 71.2 points per game, 3.3 fewer than the 74.5 Ball State gives up to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Sebastian Gorosito averages 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Cardinals, scoring 8.8 points while shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc. Payton Sparks is shooting 61.5% and averaging 16.5 points over the past 10 games.

Quentin Jones is averaging 16.3 points and 3.6 assists for the Huskies. Quaran McPherson is averaging 14.5 points and 5.4 rebounds over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 5-5, averaging 78.1 points, 29.8 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.5 points per game.

Huskies: 1-9, averaging 71.4 points, 27.3 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.3 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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