Wisconsin and Northwestern face off in a Big Ten matchup for Tuesday night! It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with a Wisconsin-Northwestern prediction and pick.
Wisconsin is one of the top teams in the nation this season. They are 14-2 which puts them as the No. 8 team in the nation. They are coming off a huge win over No. 16 Ohio State and are on a six-game winning streak. The last loss was to Ohio State back in early Dec. and Wisconsin has some big-time wins since then. Northwestern is 9-6 on the season and is fresh off of a huge win over No. 10 Michigan State. These two teams are pretty similar in overall stats but I think Wisconsin has a great chance to keep their winning streak intact.
Here are the Wisconsin-Northwestern college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Wisconsin-Northwestern Odds
Wisconsin: -3 (-106)
Northwestern: +3 (-114)
Over: 140 (-102)
Under: 140 (-120)
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Why Wisconsin Could Cover The Spread
Wisconsin contains one of the top offensive players in the nation in Johnny Davis. Davis averages 21.7 points per game off 43.5% shooting. He alongside Brad Davison and Tyler Wahl make up a very good trio offensively. What gives Wisconsin the advantage in this game is their ability to defend well also. They allow just a few less points per game than Northwestern does but Northwestern averages more points per game on offense. Northwestern believe it or not, actually has better team statistics than Wisconsin does so that could end up becoming a problem for the Badgers in this one.
If Wisconsin wants to cover this spread, they need to continue their hot run of success by controlling the game from start to finish. They can not let Northwestern get out to an early lead because they have the type of offense to keep up in a scoring battle. The good news for Wisconsin is that they are 10-5 against the spread this season, which is a good sign for bettors.
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Why Northwestern Could Cover The Spread
Northwestern has a good chance to cover this spread at home. Their leading scorer, Pete Nance, averages 17 points per game off of 51% shooting. He's coming off two straight monster games and he just ended with 28 points and 14 rebounds in the double-overtime loss to Maryland two games ago. He actually did not play in the win over Michigan State, which shows how good the rest of the team really is. They beat the No. 10 team in the nation without their best player as he sat out with an ankle injury. It's unclear if he will play against Wisconsin so that makes it a lot tougher for them to cover this spread.
Northwestern is 6-8 against the spread this year. That isn't a good sign, especially for a game like this. They will desperately need to contain Davis and company because it could be a blowout if they don't.
Final Wisconsin-Northwestern Prediction & Pick
I'm taking Wisconsin to cover this spread. I think this is an easy decision as the Badgers are rolling right now. There are too many question marks for Northwestern to put money on them.
Final Wisconsin-Northwestern Prediction & Pick: Wisconsin -3 (-106)