The Round of 32 is in full swing as the Northwestern Wildcats face the UConn Huskies on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. We're here to share our college basketball odds series, make a Northwestern UConn prediction, and pick for some fun March Madness action.
The Wildcats defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls 77-65 in overtime to advance to the Round of 32. With 1:04 left in the second half, Johnell Davis hit an 11-foot jumper to take the lead. Then, with nine seconds left, Brooks Barnhizer hit a layup to help Northwestern force overtime. Northwestern blew the gates open in the extra session to seal the win. Significantly, Ryan Langborg led the Wildcats with 27 points while shooting 11 for 19. Boo Buie had 22 points while shooting 8 for 20. Likewise, Barnhizer finished with 13 points while shooting 6 of 12.
Northwestern shot 42 percent from the floor, including 34.8 percent from the triples. Also, they held Florida Atlantic to 38.6 percent from the field, including 18.5 percent from the three-point line. They also won the board battle 39-33. Additionally, they forced 21 turnovers.
UConn destroyed Steson 91-52 to advance to the Round of 32. At one point, they held a 52-19 halftime lead, and then they cruised to victory. Donovan Clingan led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds, shooting 9 for 11. Cam Spencer had 15 points, shooting 5 for 11, and Stephon Castle added 14 points, shooting 6 for 11. Meanwhile, Tristen Newton had 13 points while shooting 5 for 8, while Alex Karabam had 12 points.
The Huskies shot 52.9 percent from the floor, including 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Also, they held Stetson to 30 percent, including 15 percent from the triples. They dominated the board battle 42-27, including 14 offensive boards. Moreover, they had six steals, which helped force 14 turnovers.
Northwestern is 3-2 in NCAA Tournament history. Now, they will attempt to make it past the Round of 32 for the first time. The Huskies are the defending champions and look to be the first team to repeat since 2008. Amazingly, they are five-time champs. They have also won the Final Four six times. Additionally, they have made the Elite Eight 12 times. The Wildcats have made the Sweet Sixteen 19 times. Lastly, they are in the middle of their 37th appearance in the tournament.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Northwestern-UConn Odds
Northwestern: +14.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +860
UConn: -14.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +1600
Over: 135.5 (-110)
Under: 135.5 (-110)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 7:45 PM ET/4:45 PM PT
TV: truTV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win
Northwestern will attempt to do the unthinkable. Even if they cannot do much more than that, upsetting the champions would put them in a whole new lore. They have three players who can do well. Now, let's take a look at them.
Buie averaged 18.9 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, including 43.1 percent from the triples. He shot well and hopes to keep it up. Barnhizer was the man who kept them alive. Significantly, he averaged 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during the season. Barnhizer also shot 43.6 percent from the floor during the season, including 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. Also, he is a monster on the boards, having gotten in double figures in 3 of 4 games. Langborg averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from the floor, including 41.7 percent from the three-point line. Significantly, he had a great shooting day and also generated two steals.
Northwestern will cover the spread if they can continue shooting the ball well. Likewise, they must win the board battle.
Why UConn Will Cover The Spread/Win
UConn is the defending college basketball champion. Now, they hope to keep the momentum, and they have five players to watch. Look for UConn to do everything they can to win. Therefore, let's take a look.
Newton averaged 15 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor. Therefore, he must keep his shoot shooting and good passing going. Spencer averaged 14.7 points per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field. Thus, he must keep hitting shots. Karaban averaged 14.2 points per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor, including 40 percent from beyond the arc. Ultimately, he hopes to continue playing clean basketball. Clingan averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 63.7 percent from the floor. Significantly, he will attempt to keep the hot hand. Castle averaged 11.2 points per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Thus, look for him to try and stay clean.
UConn will cover the spread if they can continue to shoot well. Then, they need to defend well.
Final Northwestern-UConn Prediction & Pick
Northwestern is a great team and earned the right to make it here finally. However, this will not be an easy game at all. They are facing the champions. And the champions just destroyed a team to get here. Consequently, they drew the wrong team. Unless Northwestern has a near-perfect game, this will be ugly. Subsequently, we expect it to get ugly because UConn has a great team that is more than capable of blowing anyone out the door. We think they do it here.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Northwestern-UConn Prediction & Pick: UConn: -14.5 (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe