Northern Illinois vs Kent State Picks and Predictions for Saturday January 3 2025

By: Jeremy O'Quinn Published 01/03/2026, 04:00 AM ET

Northern Illinois Preview

The Northern Illinois Huskies are heading to Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on Saturday, where they will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes. Get the rest of our free college basketball picks here! The Northern Illinois Huskies enter this conference matchup with a 5-8 record on the season, including 1-1 in MAC play. Northern Illinois is averaging 76.4 points per game while shooting 43% from the field and around 37.4% from three, showing flashes offensively but struggling for consistency against quality defenses. Guard Dylan Ducommun leads the Huskies, averaging 13.2 points per game, while Makhai Valentine has added solid scoring and rebounding over his last eight games.

Kent State Preview

The Kent State Golden Flashes currently hold a 10-3 record overall and sit atop early MAC standings with a 1-0 conference mark. Kent State’s offense has been elite they’re averaging 91.7 points per game, shooting near 47.1% from the field and 38.0% from three, giving them one of the most explosive scoring profiles in the league. Forward Delrecco Gillespie has been outstanding, putting up 18.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, while Kent State’s balanced attack generally sees multiple players contributing in double figures. Defensively, the Golden Flashes allow 81.3 points per game, as this has been their weakness all season long.

Kent State vs Northern Illinois Prediction

After a nine game win streak, Kent State has now lost 2 of their last 3 games as they search for a win on Saturday. Northern Illinois has been inconsistent all season, as they can only hope to keep this competitive. The scoring from Kent State gives them the big advantage here, covering the -15.5 spread.

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