Sunday's Best NCAAB Bet
Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats (+1, 132)
Think of this one as an appetizer for Green Bay-Chicago a little later in the afternoon. In fact, the game was actually moved up 30 minutes to help accommodate fans who also wanted to watch the NFC title game.
And just like the two nearby football teams, this Big 10 matchup has been an interesting rivalry. Wisconsin is 8-2 SU but just 4-6 ATS in its past 10 games against Northwestern. The Wildcats also are making noise to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid. The team has won four of its past five games thanks to an improved defense.
Mixing in a man-to-man set with its traditional 1-3-1, the Wildcats have held each of their past four opponents to 71 or fewer points. Nothing spectacular, but for a team that has issues stopping anyone, it’s a huge step in the right direction.
Coach Bill Carmody was especially pleased in the team’s most recent outing, a 98-55 win over SIU-Edwardsville.
"We've got some guys who are pretty good players come in there and get some time," Carmody said. "I told them when you get out there, don't look like a scrub; look like you belong there. And they did a nice job."
Meantime, Wisconsin has failed to score more than 70 points eight times in its past 10 games. And with Northwestern’s improving defense, it should happen for a ninth time in 11.
Pick: Northwestern
Wisconsin at Northwestern Wildcats
By: Willie Bee
A crucial two-game road trip begins for the Wisconsin Badgers when they travel to Evanston to meet the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is 9:30 a.m. (PT).
First glance might not reveal the importance of Sunday's game at Northwestern and a follow-up trip to Penn State in six days. Bo Ryan's Badgers enter play Sunday ranked 18th in the latest AP poll with a 14-4 record straight up, 9-5 against the spread. But looking past both the Wildcats and Nittany Lions would be a mistake for Wisconsin. Anything less than two wins in these games could render the Badgers' following home matches against No. 14 Purdue and No. 17 Michigan State almost meaningless as far as the Big Ten race goes.
The Badgers have won their last two games, both at home over Indiana and Illinois. Thursday's 69-60 triumph over the Hoosiers came with Wisconsin laying 13½, snapping a three-game win streak against the NCAA odds. The Badgers trailed at halftime, 34-30, but rallied for the victory thanks in large part to Jordan Taylor's 28 points that matched the junior's career best.
Jordan is on a four-game run reaching the 20-point plateau and ranks second on the team in scoring with a 17.6 per game mark. Jon Leuer added 20 in the win against Indiana, and leads the Badgers with a 19.2 average.
Scoring has never been the big stat on Ryan's teams that always stress defense and taking care of the ball first. This year's squad is doing both very well. Wisconsin opponents are averaging just 56.6 points per game, fourth-best in the country, and the Badgers are turning it over just 8.1 times per outing, by far the best in the land.
That sets up a nice statistical battle with Northwestern (13-5 SU, 8-4 ATS) who ranks 26th in the country with a 78.2 scoring average with a defense that is forcing almost 15 turnovers per contest.
The Wildcats enter off a 98-55 home tune-up against SIU-Edwardsville in a non-lined contest this past Thursday. Bill Carmody's crew raced to a 30-point halftime lead in the rout, hitting over 58 percent from the field, making good on 11-of-23 shots from long range and stifling the Cougars with six blocks and 11 steals.
Before that off-board win, Northwestern reeled off four consecutive covers in going 3-1 straight up against Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa and Indiana. The Wildcats, 3-4 in the Big Ten standings, started conference play by dropping their first three games both on the court and at the window. They're 8-1 ATS this season at home.
Wisconsin, 4-2 SU and ATS so far in Big Ten affairs, is 3-1 versus the odds in true road games this campaign, with the three covers coming at UNLV, Marquette and Michigan State.
Wisconsin swept both meetings from Northwestern a year ago, winning 60-50 as three-point chalk in Evanston and 70-63 as a 13-point home favorite. The contest at Welsh-Ryan Arena fell 'under' the number. Wisconsin has won eight of the last 10 meetings, both losses coming at Evanston where Northwestern owns a slim 38-37 lead all-time.
The two schools will meet once more on the regular season slate when the Wildcats visit Madison on Feb. 27.
Northwestern's tough stretch on the Big Ten schedule continues Wednesday (Jan. 26) when the Wildcats travel to take on Tubby Smith's Minnesota Golden Gophers. The 'Cats then return home to host No. 1 Ohio State next Saturday (Jan. 29).