Northwestern vs. Wisconsin Pick
Can Northwestern continue its magical run through the Big Ten Tournament when it meets No. 24 Wisconsin today at 3:30PM ET in the semifinals?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Wisconsin is the favorite in this game, as the Badgers are getting odds of -5 points against the Wildcats. The over/under total for the game is listed at 125 points. Northwestern won the lone meeting this season, 66-59 at Wisconsin on Feb. 12. These two meet today from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
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Northwestern has been a great story, as it is set to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in decades and now has won back-to-back games this weekend to reach the conference semifinals. The Cats picked up a 72-64 win over Maryland yesterday to improve to 23-10 on the season. They also are 19-11 against the spread after covering in four of their last five games. Northwestern averages 71.8 points per game on offense while allowing just 64.7 per game. Bryant McIntosh is averaging 14.6 points and 5.4 assists per game while Scottie Lindsey is adding 14.1 points per contest.
Wisconsin is coming off a 70-60 win over Indiana last night to reach this game. The Badgers are now 24-8 on the season. They have covered the spread in two straight to get to 14-15 against the spread on the season. Wisconsin is averaging 72.3 points per game on offense this season while allowing 61.5 on defense. The Badgers are led by Bronson Koenig, who is averaging 14.2 points per game while Ethan Happ is adding 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest.
Wisconsin has been hard to figure out lately. The Badgers struggled for weeks but have shown a sign of being back to their old ways the last seven days. Still, Northwestern is playing at a high level right now. The Wildcats have been playing close with all their opponents in recent weeks. They no longer think they can win big games, they now know it. While the Wildcats may not win today, I expect this game to come down to the wire. They haven’t lost by more than 4 points since Feb. 21.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: NORTHWESTERN +5