The Big Ten Tournament will begin the quarterfinal round on Friday, and there are going to be four great games on the schedule. The second game of the day might be the best of them all as the Wisconsin Badgers will take on the Northwestern Wildcats.
Wisconsin blew out the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday to get to this game, and that was a much needed win for the Badgers. The Badgers are now sitting at 20-12 on the year, and they need a win to ensure that they are in the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern is going to be an NCAA Tournament team this season as they finished the regular season at 21-10. The Wildcats did end the regular season by going just 1-2 in their final three games, but they are well rested.
The Wisconsin Badgers are actually a slim 3.5-point betting favorite over Northwestern in this matchup.
Wisconsin Wants to Own the Paint
The Wisconsin Badgers are going to have a significant size advantage in this game, and they will try to do a ton of damage in the paint. Even though Wisconsin is scoring just 74 points per game, they have the ability to be extremely efficient on offense.
Guard AJ Storr is leading the way with over 16 points per game this season, but the Badgers will try to establish themselves in the paint first in this game. Wisconsin has been streaky on offense this season, but they were great on Thursday afternoon.
The Badgers will also look to set the tone on defense in this game, and they are holding opponents to just 70 points per game this season.
Northwestern Must Make Shots
The Northwestern Wildcats will have to make shots to win this game, but they typically do well at that. Northwestern is shooting 46 percent from the three-point line, and they can get hot in a hurry.
Boo Bouie is one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference as he is averaging 18.9 points per game this season. If Bouie is able to get to his spots in this game then he could set the tone for the Wildcats.
This team is comfortable slowing down the tempo as well, and that could frustrate Wisconsin in this game. Northwestern is well-rested, but there could also be a bit of rust facing this team.
Wisconsin Wins Over Northwestern
The records show that Northwestern was a better team during the regular season, but there were some strange losses for Wisconsin this year. The Badgers showed just how good they can be on Thursday, and that momentum is going to show up in this game as well.
Northwestern has relied on outside shooting way too much in this game, and Wisconsin will be making sure that they don’t get open looks. The Wildcats also have a size disadvantage in this matchup, and that will be exploited by Wisconsin in this matchup.
Bet the Wisconsin Badgers -3.5 as they are going to roll to a blowout win over the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.
