Big Ten Second-Place Showdown
Sole possession of second place in the Big Ten is on the line when Northwestern welcomes Indiana to town.
Indiana is second in the conference in blocked shots while Northwestern ranks second in steals, so defense and ball security could be crucial for two evenly-matched teams.
The Hoosiers are just 4-5 on the road with Northwestern 11-4 at home.
Forward Race Thompson, the Hoosiers’ second-leading rebounder and No. 5 scorer, is questionable. Third-leading scorer Xavier Johnson continues to be sidelined while center Logan Duncomb is out indefinitely.
Guard Julian Roper is questionable with an ankle injury and forward Luke Hunger is out for the season with a foot injury for Northwestern.
Indiana moved up four positions to No. 14 in the most recent Associated Press poll and went from 18th to 15th in the coaches poll. Northwestern fell 21 points shy of breaking into the top 25 in the AP poll and 11 points from doing the same in the coaches’ poll.
According to the college basketball odds, Indiana (+2500) is tied for 11th in the odds to win the national championship. Northwestern is well back at +20000. Indiana (+1200) is second behind Purdue in the odds to win the Big Ten title with Northwestern priced at +1800 in the conference title odds.
Indiana is 17th in the latest NCAA NET rankings. Northwestern comes in at No. 43 so this is a game that could help both of them when it comes time to finalize the March Madness bracket.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports, and college basketball lines for Indiana vs Northwestern. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
The Road Less Traveled
Indiana has had its issues winning on the road. However, it is hard to blame leading scorer Trayce Jackson-Davis for those struggles.
He is averaging 21.7 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots on the road, with the scoring and blocks numbers significantly better than what he is putting up at home.
Jackson-Davis is coming off a brilliant effort with 28 points and 11 rebounds in a one-point win over Michigan. He had a game with 25 points and 21 rebounds in a win at Maryland. He will look for more of the game against a surprising Northwestern team.
The same can’t be said for freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino, the only other double-digit scorer for the Hoosiers. He is connecting on just 30% of his shots on the road compared to a 50.6% mark at home.
Indiana has covered against the college basketball betting lines in four of its last five games.
Buie Bringing it for Northwestern
In a college basketball universe where a limited role could result in a trip to the transfer portal, Northwestern senior guard Boo Buie is a bit of a throwback.
His minutes have increased each year as he worked his way into becoming one of the best players in the Big Ten.
Boo Buie is a bucket 🪣
👻 is now a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week. https://t.co/fHl0cyYtYn pic.twitter.com/zmhWACosmg
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 13, 2023
Buie has at least 20 points in six of his last nine games. In an upset of No. 1 Purdue the last time out, he was off from 3-point range but still stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots. He also had 26 points in the first meeting of the season against the Hoosiers
Buie is averaging 19.5 points in four games against ranked teams this season.
Northwestern is 6-2 against the Las Vegas odds in its last eight contests.
Indiana vs Northwestern Game Injuries
Indiana vs Northwestern Head-to-Head
Northwestern looks to sweep the season series for the first time since 2011 after winning the first game 84-83. Ty Perry had a double-double and the Wildcats shot twice as many free throws as the Hoosiers.
Indiana has failed to cover in each of the last seven meetings with three of the last four games going over the total.
Each of the last seven games between the Hoosiers and Wildcats were decided by eight points or less.
Indiana vs Northwestern Game Information
- Game: Indiana (18-7, 9-5 Big Ten) vs Northwestern (18-7, 9-5)
- Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
- Day/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 9 p.m. ET
- Indiana vs Northwestern Live stream: TBS.com
Indiana vs Northwestern Betting Lines
Indiana vs Northwestern Picks and Prediction
Indiana leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage. Northwestern will counter with the No. 3 team in the conference in field goal percentage defense.
Only Penn State and Illinois have attempted more 3-pointers than Northwestern. The Wildcats have attempted 191 more shots from distance than Indiana. When the Hoosiers do shoot from the perimeter, it usually ends well with the second-best 3-pointer percentage mark in the conference.
Six of Indiana’s last nine games went under the total with the same being true in four of Northwestern’s last five contests.
The game opened as a pick’em. However, the Hoosiers are now favored by two points.
The Hoosiers are 16-2 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite while Northwestern is 6-5 as the underdog.
The Hoosiers are just 2-6-1 against the spread on the road while Northwestern has covered in seven of 15 games at home.
Indiana is listed at -135 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Hoosiers, you have a chance to win $74. Northwestern is +115, offering a chance to win $115 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Indiana a 57.45% chance to win, with Northwestern at 46.51%.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
Indiana vs Northwestern Trends
Indiana vs Northwestern Edge
Indiana vs Northwestern Results
Indiana vs Northwestern Game Summary
