The set-up: Neither team has played to many high-scoring affairs of late, but I believe that trend ends tonight. The NIU Huskies are 15-9 overall and 8-3 in league play, while the Ball State Cardinals are 13-10 overall and 6-4 in the MAC. NIU comes in off a 57-54 win over Kent State, while Ball State will be eager to return to the winners cirlce after a 68-64 loss to WMU last time out.

The pick: I'll point out though that NIU has seen the total go over the number in three of four this year after playing two straight games as the underdog, while Ball State has seen the total go over the number in two of its last three off an upset loss as a favorite. As mentioned off the top, neither team has played to many "overs," this year, but that's just driven this total well below where it really should be set in my opinion. This number is indeed a little low, play the over.

10* TOTAL OF THE WEEK on the OVER Northern Illinois/Ball State.