Wisconsin vs Northwestern Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 5 (Defense Reigns Supreme at the Kohl Center)

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

Wisconsin vs Northwestern Game Info

2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
Wisconsin (13-8, 5-6 Big Ten) vs. Northwestern (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten)
Date: Sunday, February 5, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Kohl Center -- Madison, Wisconsin

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Sunday with an exciting matchup between the Northwestern Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers. Northwestern is coming off a crushing 68-51 loss to Michigan on Thursday. Boo Buie shined with a team-high 23 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds, though.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin snuck past Ohio State by a final score of 65-60 on Thursday. Connor Essegian led the way with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Chucky Hepburn chipped in with 15 points of his own. Will the Badgers get back to the .500 mark in conference play? Or will the Wildcats spoil the party?

Wisconsin vs Northwestern Odds & Spread

All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: WISC: (-166) | NWSTRN: (+138)
Spread: WISC: -3.5 (-110) | NWSTRN: +3.5 (-110)
Total: 125.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

Wisconsin enters this contest as small home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 6:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 125.5 points, which is below average compared to Sunday's projected totals.

Wisconsin vs Northwestern Betting Trends

Wisconsin has covered the spread nine times in 20 games.
The Badgers have two wins ATS (2-5) as a 3.5-point favorite or greater this year.
Wisconsin has played 20 games this season, and 11 of them have hit the over.
Northwestern's record against the spread is 12-10-0.
As 3.5-point underdogs or greater, the Wildcats are 4-2 against the spread.
Out of Northwestern's 22 games so far this season, 10 have hit the over.

Wisconsin Rank	Wisconsin AVG		Northwestern AVG	Northwestern Rank
330th	65	Points Scored	69	248th
30th	63.1	Points Allowed	62.5	24th
313th	29	Rebounds	33.3	114th
339th	6.1	Off. Rebounds	9.2	126th
78th	8.4	3pt Made	7.6	160th
290th	11.8	Assists	13.5	152nd
1st	8.3	Turnovers	9.5	8th

Wisconsin vs Northwestern Prediction & Pick

This is a classic Big Ten battle between two squads that prioritize defense. Northwestern ranks 20th in defensive efficiency this season, while Wisconsin checks in at a respectable ranking of 76th. Each side is allowing less than 64.0 points per game, which ranks among the top 25 teams in the country.

As a result, this game is going to come down to a few late buckets and I like Wisconsin to be the team that gets those buckets. The Badgers roster four players averaging over 10.0 points per game, while the Wildcats feature little depth outside of Buie and Chase Audige. That'll make a noticeable difference.

Wisconsin has also won seven of its last eight games against Northwestern, so back the Badgers.

Final Score Prediction: Wisconsin: 62 | Northwestern: 58

Wisconsin vs Northwestern Best Bet

This game features one of the lowest point totals on Sunday's slate for a reason. As mentioned above, both of these teams thrive on the defensive end of the court. Northwestern forces 15.1 turnovers per away game, while Wisconsin has posted a 76.8% defensive rebounding percentage.

The total has hit the under in six of the last seven matchups between the Wildcats and Badgers at the Kohl Center. In fact, more than 125 points have been scored in just three of the last seven games between these Big Ten rivals overall. The under has also cashed in four of Wisconsin's last six games, so bet on that trend continuing here.

Bet: Under 125.5 Points (-105)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.