The Wildcats (17-8) sit in 5th place in the Big Ten heading into the February 18th Northwestern at Indiana betting matchup, but the only reason they’re not higher in the standings is because of an atrocious conference road record (1-6). Chris Collins will try to right that ship in Bloomington against the Hoosiers (14-10).
Indiana has also had their share of woes on the road in the Big Ten (2-5) proving just how tough it is going away in this conference. The Hoosiers are 10-3 at home though and 4-2 on their own court in conference play which is a big reason oddsmakers have IU a -1.5 favorite on Sunday afternoon.
Why Northwestern Has Value at +1.5
It wouldn’t have been a complete shocker to see the Wildcats favored on Sunday, as although their overall road record doesn’t look great they have been playing better going away lately. Northwestern suffered a 63-60 road loss to Rutgers on Thursday and prior to that fell in OT at Minnesota and at Purdue.
The Wildcats will have the best player on the court in Sunday’s game as Boo Buie is going off at a clip of 19.2 ppg. Bui tried to will Northwestern to a win over Rutgers this week with 27 points, the 5th time he’s gone for 20+ in his last seven. Three other players average 11+ points for a Wildcats team including Brooks Barnhizer who has a double-double in three of his last four.
A bet on Sunday might not necessarily be on Northwestern, but against Indiana. The Hoosiers have dropped five of their last seven including a 14-point defeat at home to Penn State on February 3rd. Indiana boasts the third worst scoring offense (73.0) and third worst scoring defense (74.4) in the Big Ten.
Why the Hoosiers Have Value at -1.5
There has to be a reason Indiana is the favorite on Sunday despite being 9th in the Big Ten at 6-7 in conference play. 55% of the betting public are still on Northwestern, but that’s a tough wager for a team that’s 2-6 on the road overall this season.
The Wildcats have a great top end player in Buie, but will be missing a key role player in Ty Berry (11.6 ppg) who has missed the last two games and is now out for the year with a knee injury. Northwestern was 10th in the Big Ten in scoring with Berry, and now there’s even more of a burden on the likes of Buie and Barnhizer.
Indiana doesn’t have a player that can go for 20+ every night like Northwestern does with Buie, but they do have some nice balance. Malik Reneau had 26 on February 6th against Ohio State and Kel’el Ware has 23+ in two of his last four.
Free February 18th Northwestern at Indiana Betting Pick
It’s hard to overlook Northwestern’s woes on the road this season, but they have been playing better away from Evanston recently even in some close losses. This is a game the Wildcats have to have for conference seeding purposes and they’ll find a way to get it done here.
Free Pick: Northwestern +1.5
