This is an 8* play on AKRON

Northern Illinois is coming off its biggest win of the season, a 77-75 upset of Buffalo. That was a real shocker with the Huskies coming out ahead as 9.5-point underdogs. So it would only be logical for there to be a bit of a letdown their next time out. Their next time out is today at an Akron team that plays remarkably good defense, especially at home. The Zips are only giving up 62.7 points per game for the year and that number drops to 56.3 at home, which explains why they are 9-1 at James A. Rhodes Arena. There's some revenge in the air tonight as well. The Zips lost out in DeKalb 73-56 earlier in the month. They were one-point favorites over Northern Illinois in that game. When you compare lines for the two games, certainly there would appear to be some value on the home team in this rematch. Yes, you must factor in the fact Akron was blown out on the road the first time. But they aren't about to shoot only 34% from the field again nor will they allow NIU to shoot almost 56% either. Play on AKRON

AAA