NCAA Tournament March Madness

#350 N Illinois

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Projection: need to automatically qualify

Northern Illinois is struggling significantly, evident from both its overall record and its performance against opponents. The losses to teams like Bradley and Northern Iowa reveal a lack of competitiveness against higher-ranked programs, while the narrow victories against weaker teams, such as the win over Ball State, only hint at a problematic inconsistency. Additionally, their poor defensive ranking raises concerns, as they frequently allow more points than they score, most notably in tough matchups like against Toledo and Akron. The upcoming games against similarly ranked teams will be crucial; victories against those opponents could minimally bolster their standing, but with the current trajectory, an automatic qualification through the Mid-American Conference seems like their best path forward.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/4@Ga Southern263L80-65
11/12Monmouth NJ267W79-66
11/16@Bradley94L76-60
11/20Elon171L75-48
11/23@DePaul127L98-52
11/27@Valparaiso235L87-82
11/29@E Illinois334L72-59
12/7@Northern Iowa98L101-57
12/18@Illinois St130L81-60
1/4@E Michigan293L75-71
1/7Kent139L68-50
1/11@Ohio165L108-70
1/14Miami OH172L84-69
1/18C Michigan185L71-66
1/21@W Michigan316L72-70
1/25Ball St269W76-66
1/28Akron103L80-70
2/1@Toledo223L89-85
2/4@Bowling Green306L84-77
2/8Louisiana309L66-64
2/11Buffalo353L73-67
2/15@Ball St269L89-83
2/18@Akron103L73-63
2/22E Michigan293L79-76
2/25@Miami OH17233%
3/1W Michigan31649%
3/4Bowling Green30649%
3/7@C Michigan18534%