Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Eastern Illinois looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 31-24 lead against N. Illinois.
Eastern Illinois entered the match with four straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it five. Can they turn things around, or will N. Illinois hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
N. Illinois Huskies @ Eastern Illinois Panthers
Current Records: N. Illinois 2-5, Eastern Illinois 1-5
How To Watch
What to Know
After four games on the road, Eastern Illinois is heading back home. They will welcome the N. Illinois Huskies at 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Groniger Arena. The game is expected to be a close one, with the Panthers going off as just a two-point favorite.
There’s no need to mince words: Eastern Illinois lost to Valparaiso on Sunday, and Eastern Illinois lost bad. The score wound up at 81-53. The contest marked the Panthers’ lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Eastern Illinois’ defeat shouldn’t obscure the performances of Kooper Jacobi, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds, and Nakyel Shelton, who scored 20 points. The dominant performance also gave Shelton a new career-high in assists (three).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Eastern Illinois struggled to work together and finished the game with only seven assists. They were dismantled by their opponents in that department as Valparaiso posted 17.
Meanwhile, N. Illinois’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight loss. They took an 87-82 hit to the loss column at the hands of Valparaiso. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite their defeat, N. Illinois saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Nasir Muhammad, who earned 21 points, was perhaps the best of all. Muhammad had some trouble finding his footing against DePaul on Saturday, so this was a step in the right direction. James Dent Jr. was another key player, going 5 for 9 en route to 15 points plus six rebounds.
Eastern Illinois’ loss was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-5. As for N. Illinois, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Eastern Illinois suffered a grim 90-70 defeat to N. Illinois in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. Can Eastern Illinois avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Eastern Illinois is a slight 2-point favorite against N. Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 136.5 points.
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Series History
N. Illinois has won both of the games they’ve played against Eastern Illinois in the last 3 years.
- Nov 30, 2022 – N. Illinois 90 vs. Eastern Illinois 70
- Dec 01, 2021 – N. Illinois 55 vs. Eastern Illinois 45