College Basketball Picks

Northwestern vs Wisconsin 1/18/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Wisconsin Badgers (14-2) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (9-6)
January 18, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Northwestern Wildcats +2 / Wisconsin Badgers -2 ; Over/Under: 140.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The 8th ranked Wisconsin Badgers will travel to Welsh-Ryan Arena to take on the Northwestern Wildcats this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.

The 8th ranked Wisconsin Badgers won their 6th straight game and improved to 14-2 on the season after defeating the 16th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, 78-68, this past Thursday. Wisconsin was outstanding on the offensive end against Ohio State and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 40-27 lead. Wisconsin shot 46.6% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Ohio State to shoot 50.0% from the field & 15.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Badgers was Tyler Wahl who had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, Wisconsin is averaging 72.1 ppg on 42.0% shooting from the field. The Badgers are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 30.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wisconsin has been led by Johnny Davis (21.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Brad Davidson (15.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.9 apg), Tyler Wahl (10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 bpg), & Steven Crowl (8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg).

Defensviely, Wisconsin is holding their opponents to an average of 65.1 ppg on 43.1% shooting from the field. The Badgers have a rebound margin of 0.6 and a turnover margin of 3.9.

The Northwestern Wildcats snapped their 4-game losing streak and improved to 9-6 on the season after defeating the 10th ranked Michigan State Spartans, 64-62, this past Saturday. Northwestern led by a 38-33 margin at halftime and was able to hold off Michigan State to the upset victory after taking a 62-56 lead with just 2:43 left in regulation. Northwestern shot 34.8% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Michigan State to shoot 43.1% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Ryan Young who had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Northwestern is averaging 77.7 ppg on 44.0% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northwestern has been led by Pete Nance (17.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 bpg), Boo Buie (14.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.7 apg), Chase Audige (11.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.8 spg), & Ryan Young (10.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg).

Defensviely, Northwestern is allowing their opponents to average of 67.1 ppg on 39.4% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of 5.2.

The Badgers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games and 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. Northwestern. The Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.

Wisconsin has been led by their defense which ranks 84th in scoring defense & 31st in rebound margin, however, the Badgers have struggled at times offensively and come into this game ranked just 173rd in scoring offense & 280th in FG%. Northwestern has been solid on both sides of the ball as the Wildcats currently ranks 54th in scoring offense, 133rd in scoring defense, & 32nd in defensive FG%.

Northwestern is coming off a great road win at Michigan State, however, this is still the same team recently loss to Penn State & Maryland at home and have overall, not been great ATS since the start of Big Ten play. Wisconsin’s offense can be inconsistent, however, the Badgers have been playing some incredible basketball as of late which includes wins against Purdue & Ohio State and as I think their defense is going to give Northwestern some trouble, I think Wisconsin does enough to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: Wisconsin Badgers -2

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Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

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