N. Illinois Huskies vs. Akron Zips: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start time

How to watch Northern Illinois vs. Akron basketball game

By Scout Staff

Jan 28, 2025 at 8:00 pm ET • 3 min read

Halftime Report

Akron is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 37-33 lead against N. Illinois.

Akron entered the matchup having won seven straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it eight, or will N. Illinois step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Akron Zips @ N. Illinois Huskies

Current Records: Akron 14-5, N. Illinois 5-14

How To Watch

When: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Convocation Center -- DeKalb, Illinois
TV: ESPN Plus
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $17.85

What to Know

N. Illinois will be in front of their home fans on Tuesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the Akron Zips will face off in a Mid American battle at 7:00 p.m. ET at Convocation Center. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with six defeats in a row, N. Illinois finally turned things around against Ball State on Saturday. They came out on top against the Cardinals by a score of 76-66.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead N. Illinois to victory, but perhaps none more so than Nasir Muhammad, who went 6 for 11 en route to 19 points plus six rebounds and two steals. The dominant performance also gave Muhammad a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was James Dent Jr., who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Akron entered their tilt with Miami (Ohio) on Saturday with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. They blew past the RedHawks, posting a 102-75 win. The Zips have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 19 points or more this season.

Akron's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nate Johnson, who went 6 for 9 en route to 14 points plus seven rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Seth Wilson, who had 14 points.

Akron was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now racked up at least 21 assists in six consecutive games.

N. Illinois' victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-14. As for Akron, they pushed their record up to 14-5 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home.

Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's match: N. Illinois has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.3 threes per game. However, it's not like Akron struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.6. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Not only did both teams in this Tuesday's matchup win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Going forward, the game looks promising for Akron, as the team is favored by a full 16.5 points. This contest will be N. Illinois' eighth straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 4-3 against the spread).