Ball state is going into this game riding a 2 game losing streak while the home team Northern Illinois is riding a 3 game losing streak. While many will write this game off between 2 non tournament teams it actually means a lot for Ball State who are tied for second with a 10-7 record in the MAC West and could really used a win against last place Northern Illinois

Both Teams can score as Ball State is averaging 75.7 points a game and N. Illinois is averaging 73.1 points a game, the difference is going to come in the points allowed department where Ball State is giving up 74.0 and  N. Illinois is giving up 76.0 while this is right on pace with each other’s scoring stats during both active losing streaks they have given up more then the average.

Eye Test

Ball State is the better team in this Match-up and have a better seed in the MAC tournament while N. Illinois is just going to be playing in their senior night. This game is going to come down to who’s defense is up to the task and being able to get stops late.