Wisconsin vs. Northwestern Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal
The Wisconsin Badgers blew past Maryland and will now advance to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a Big Ten quarterfinal showdown on Friday.
Wisconsin got the better of Northwestern when they faced each other on January 13, beating them at home by a final score of 71-63. After starting the season red-hot, Wisconsin cooled off in the final stretch but the Badgers may just be heating back up at the perfect time.
Let's dive into everything you need to know to bet on today's games.
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Wisconsin vs. Northwestern odds, spread, and total
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern betting trends
- Wisconsin is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games
- The OVER is 7-0 in Wisconsin's last seven games
- Wisconsin is 7-2 ATS in its last seven games vs. Northwestern
- Northwestern is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games
- The OVER is 13-6 in Northwestern's last 19 games
- Northwestern is 6-0 ATS the last six times it was an underdog
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern how to watch
- Date: Friday, March 15
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST
- Venue: Target Center
- How to watch (TV): BTN
- Wisconsin record: 20-12 (11-9 in Big Ten)
- Northwestern record: 21-10 (12-8 in Big Ten)
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern key players to watch
Wisconsin
AJ Storr: Wisconsin's offense goes through its guard, AJ Storr, who's averaging 16.2 points per game this season while shooting 43.8% from the field. If the Badgers want to continue their run in the Big Ten tournament, then Storr needs to continue to bring his "A" game.
Northwestern
Boo Buie: It's time for Boo Buie to take over games if the Wildcats want to win the Big Ten tournament. He's averaging 18.9 points per game and scored 22 points the last time these two teams faced off. If he plays at his best, Northwestern is going to be tough to beat.
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern prediction and pick
Instead of betting on a side in this game, I'm going to look at the total and bet the OVER at 135.5.
Both team's have been better offensively than defensively this season, and are both in the top 85 in the country in effective field goal percentage. One of my favorite stats for betting on totals is Floor%, which measures the percentage of a team's possessions result in at least one point being scored. Wisconsin is 28th in Floor% and 180th in Opponent Floor%. Northwestern ranks 60th in Floor% and 208th in Opponent Floor%. That tells us both teams make the most of their offensive possessions but allow their opponents to do so as well.
Both teams play at a relatively slow pace, which is the reason for the low total, but based on how both teams are built, I think we're in for a higher scoring game than people may think.
Give me the OVER.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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