Northern Illinois Huskies vs Santa Barbara Gauchos Point Spread Picks

Northern Illinois is a dog in Las Vegas, but won 21 games, three more than its opponent here. You need defense to win away from home and Northern Illinois is outstanding int hat area. The Huskies rank 35th nationally in field goal percentage defense. NIU's opponents are shooting just 40.2 percent on the season. They finished second in the MAC in points allowed and tops in field goal defense. They can pound teams in the low post with 6-10 sophomore center Marin Maric (12 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game), 6-5 junior Aaric Armstead (10.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game), and 6-8 freshman Jaylen Key. Maric has 14 double-doubles this season, tied for third-most in the MAC, and tied for 34th in the nation. Their rebounding margin was #1 in the MAC (+4.5 per contest). They match up well with a UC Santa Barbara Gauchos squad that finished second to last in the Big West in scoring, #6 in scoring margin (minus-1.4), #8 in free throws, #8 in shooting, and second to last in three-point shooting. The Gauchos are 4-9 ATS against a team with a winning percentage above .600, so grab the dog to win the game. Play Northern Illinois on the moneyline.