Ball State vs. Northern Illinois Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - Jan. 24

The Ball State Cardinals (6-13, 2-5 MAC) host the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-12, 2-5 MAC) at John E. Worthen Arena, starting at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The Cardinals are 6.5-point favorites in the game. The matchup's point total is set at 139.5.

In its last time out, Ball State won on Tuesday 68-67 over Central Michigan. Devon Barnes totaled 17 points, one rebound and two assists for Ball State. Northern Illinois dropped its most recent game 80-77 against Ohio on Tuesday. Dylan Ducommun scored a team-best 23 points for Northern Illinois in the loss.

Ball State vs. Northern Illinois Odds and Game Time

• When: Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 2 p.m. ET
• Where: John E. Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana
• Spread favorite: Ball State -6.5
• Over/Under: 139.5 points

How to watch Ball State vs. Northern Illinois

• TV Channel: ESPN+
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Ball State vs. Northern Illinois

• Ball State and its opponents have hit the over on this game's total (139.5 points) eight times this season.
• In Northern Illinois' 16 games this season, nine finished with more combined points than Saturday's point total of 139.5.
• The Cardinals average 68.4 points per game against the Huskies' 74.1, totaling 3.0 points over the game's point total of 139.5.
• The 148.3 points per game these two teams allow their opponents to score combined this season are 8.8 more than the 139.5-point total in this contest.
• Ball State has seen a 139.1 average over/under in its games this season, 0.4 less than the over/under in this matchup.
• The over/under for this game is 12.2 points lower than the average over/under in Northern Illinois' games this season of 151.7.

Betting the Spread: Ball State vs. Northern Illinois

• Ball State has seven wins against the spread in 17 games this season.
• Northern Illinois has eight wins against the spread in 16 games this year.
• So far this season, the Huskies have been installed as underdogs by a 6.5-point margin or more 13 times and are 7-6 ATS in those matchups.
• At home this year, Ball State is 3-3 against the spread and 2-4 overall.
• In away games, Northern Illinois is 6-4 against the spread, and 1-9 overall.