Surging Wisconsin Hits Big-10 Road at Northwestern
Badgers Push for Top-Five Ranking Against Wildcats
The Wisconsin Badgers are pushing for a top-five ranking in their Tuesday-night Big 10 road game against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Wisconsin has rattled off six consecutive wins and with a 5-1 conference record, meaning the Badgers are proving tough to stop.
NCAA basketball odds have the Badgers as only -3 favorites, so oddsmakers expect a close contest.
Game: Wisconsin Badgers (14-2) at Northwestern Wildcats (9-6)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
Day/Time: Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Wisconsin Badgers vs Northwestern Wildcats
Badgers a Good Bet
The Wisconsin Badgers have been an excellent wager for college basketball bettors.
They are 11-5 against the spread (14-2 overall), so they have been a money-making machine in the early portion of the year.
Wisconsin is 9-1 in its last 10 games, only failing, 73-55, against Ohio State as a five-point underdog.
Bouncing back from that loss has been important, and the Badgers are well on their way after posting wins over Purdue, Iowa and a return meeting with Ohio State. The latest national rankings find Wisconsin at No. 8, second only to No. 4 Purdue among conference cohorts.
Beating top-five teams is a sure-fire way to make it into the top five yourself, so we expect to see the Badgers move up the rankings. The sportsbook is starting to take notice, but bettors can still get value odds.
Leading the way is guard Johnny Davis, averaging 21.7 points per game. Davis also leads in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and assists (2.6 apg), so he’s by far the star.
“I think what it shows you is that this team is more than Johnny,” coach Greg Gard said about Davis. “I thought all along, we had some really good pieces. They weren’t household names, but as this team has come together. We’ve seen some of those guys emerge.”
It’s tough to look past the Badgers given their recent history, but winning on the road in the Big 10 is easier said than done.
Wildcats Back on Track
Prior to their surprising win over Michigan State, it had been a terrible month for the Northwestern Wildcats.
They lost four consecutive games (Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State and Maryland) before the win, which came as a 9½-point underdog.
The gutsy 64-62 win over the Spartans could get them back on track, as they’re just 2-4 in the conference. It was also a road victory, and a test of character for the Wildcats’ roster.
NU is 6-3 at home, so it’s not all bad. Ranking just 55th nationally in offense, the Wildcats need to fill the bucket against a solid Wisconsin defense, However, the game is there for the taking.
Northwestern doesn’t need to improve that much to win as a home ‘dog. It scored more points on average than Wisconsin, so that confidence would go a long way.
Betting online markets aren’t ready to give up on the Wildcats just yet, so the +3 line is intriguing.
Doing most of the damage is Pete Nance, who leads the team in both scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). The ball often gets sent to the paint where Nance operates, either driving or kicking it out for an open three.
The Wildcats are much better from long distance than Wisconsin, so that’s in their favor.
Badgers Holding Firm
The Badgers are by no means a complete team, but they are playing at a high level and that could be tough for Northwestern to overcome.
Winning on the road is hard in this conference, but UW has the ability to whip tough teams in tough places.
Beating Maryland and Ohio State were prime examples of that, so the Badgers are one of our NCAAB best bets.
