Northwestern Wildcats (12-3) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (12-3)
January 13, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Wisconsin Badgers -7.5; Over/Under: +138
(Get latest betting odds)
The Northwestern Wildcats and the Wisconsin Badgers meet in college basketball action from the Kohl Center on Saturday afternoon. Two 12-3 teams go head-to-head in this one, who grabs win #13 in a battle of two of the Big Ten’s best early on? Let’s dive in and find out with our Northwestern vs. Wisconsin Prediction.
Northwestern Team Preview
The Northwestern Wildcats come into this one looking to build on back-to-back wins after a 76-72 win over Penn State last time out. Boo Buie leads the Wildcats in scoring and assists with 18.1 PPG and 5.1 APG while Brooks Barnhizer has 13.9 PPG with a team-high 7.2 RPG to lead the Wildcats on the glass. Ryan Langborg has 11.7 PPG with 2.7 RPG and 2.8 APG while Ty Berry has 12.1 PPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Northwestern so far this season. As a team, Northwestern is averaging 73.7 PPG on 47.3% shooting from the field, 37.7% from three and 72.3% from the foul line this season.
Wisconsin Team Preview
The Wisconsin Badgers come into this one looking to build on their current five-game win streak after a 71-60 win over Ohio State last time out. AJ Storr leads the Badgers in scoring with 14.9 PPG while Steven Crowl has 12.1 PPG with a team-high 7.5 RPG to lead the Badgers on the glass so far this season. Tyler Wahl has 11.8 PPG with 6 RPG, capping off the group of double-digit scorers for Wisconsin so far this season. Chucky Hepburn also has 8.8 PPG and a team-high 4 APG to lead the Badgers in the assist department this season. As a team, Wisconsin is averaging 75.5 PPG on 47% shooting from the field, 33.9% from behind the arc and 76.2% from the foul line this season.
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin Prediction
I’m on the Wildcats with the points here. I just think this is a really good Northwestern team that’s getting a lot of points in a matchup that I think could end up being very close. Northwestern won both meetings last year, and this is a talented Wildcats team that’s proficient from behind the arc and plays at a methodical pace that could make it hard for Wisconsin to pull away. I think this is going to be a war so give me the points with Northwestern.
