Northwestern Wildcats vs Wisconsin Badgers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Wisconsin vs Northwestern NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Evanston.

Wisconsin vs Northwestern Prediction

Looking to win big? The Badgers and Wildcats face off at 2:00 ET on FS1. The Wildcats are hosting the game at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL. In this Big Ten matchup, Wisconsin is favored bt -1.5 vs. Northwestern. The over/under for the game is 142.5 points.

Wisconsin vs. Northwestern Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats
Where: Evanston at Welsh-Ryan Arena
Date: Saturday, February 1st
Betting Odds WISC -1.5, WISC -127 | NW +105 O/U 142.5

Badgers Preview: Pressure Builds for Wisconsin as Away Favorites

Wisconsin Badgers Recent Game/Games

Wisconsin’s season record dropped to 16-5 after a 76-68 road loss to Maryland on Wednesday. The Badgers entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs and didn’t cover the spread. The combined points of 144 fell short of the O/U line of 151.5.

Trailing 32-31 at halftime, Wisconsin allowed 44 points in the 2nd half while scoring 37 of their own.

Badgers Offense Breakdown

Wisconsin's offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 37.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.1%, and they managed 68 points, with 12 offensive rebounds and 12 assists.

John Tonje led the way with 23 points, hitting 5 of 8 threes. Rodney Rice and Ja'Kobi Gillespie each added 16 points, with Gillespie also contributing 5 assists. Derik Queen grabbed 12 rebounds, despite shooting just 21.4% from the floor.

Badgers Team Defense

Wisconsin's defense gave up 76 points in their last game, allowing the opposition to shoot 40% from the field on 24 of 60 attempts. They were able to hold the other team to 33% shooting on two-point attempts, with just 12 makes on 36 shots.

However, the Badgers struggled to defend the three-point line, where the other team hit 12 of 24 attempts, shooting 50%. Wisconsin also sent them to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 16 free throws, shooting 76%. The Badgers allowed 9 offensive rebounds.

Wildcats Preview: Can Northwestern Secure a Home Victory?

Northwestern Wildcats Recent Game/Games

Northwestern fell to 12-9 on the season after a 79-72 home loss to Rutgers on Wednesday. The Wildcats, who were -9.5 favorites, failed to cover the spread.

After trailing 43-35 at halftime, Northwestern outscored Rutgers 37-36 in the second half. The game’s total points of 151 exceeded the O/U line of 137.5.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Ace Bailey's 37-point performance on 65% shooting, including 5-of-8 from three, powered Northwestern's offense in their last game. Jalen Leach added 23 points, hitting 3-of-5 from deep, while Nick Martinelli contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds despite shooting just 31.2%.

As a team, Northwestern shot 42.4% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They connected on 31.8% of their threes and 83.3% from the free-throw line, adding 11 offensive rebounds and 16 assists in the win.

Wildcats Team Defense

Northwestern's defense gave up 79 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 42% from the field. They allowed 18 two-point field goals on 37 attempts, which is a 48% shooting percentage.

From beyond the arc, the opposing team hit 7 of 22 threes, shooting 31%. Northwestern also sent them to the free-throw line 18 times, where they converted 15 free throws for an 83% rate. The Wildcats gave up 11 offensive rebounds.

Badgers vs Wildcats Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past five road matchups, Wisconsin has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 78 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
Although Northwestern has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 70 points per game in these games.
In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 1-4 and an ATS mark of 2-3.
In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Badgers have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.