Wisconsin Badgers vs Northwestern Wildcats NCAAB Betting Prediction

Wisconsin Badgers vs Northwestern Prediction 2/1/2025

The Wisconsin Badgers (16-5) travel to face off against the Northwestern Wildcats (12-9) on Saturday, February 1st. This game will be played at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston and televised on FS1. Both Wisconsin and Northwestern will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 ET.

Wisconsin Badgers vs Northwestern Wildcats

The Badgers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Wisconsin Badgers Recent Game/Games

Wisconsin dropped to 16-5 on the season after a 76-68 road loss to Maryland on Wednesday. The Badgers entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs and didn’t cover the spread.

Trailing 32-31 at halftime, Wisconsin allowed 44 points in the 2nd half while scoring 37. The total points for the game were 144, falling short of the 151.5 O/U line.

The Wildcats Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Northwestern Wildcats Recent Game/Games

Northwestern’s season record dropped to 12-9 after a 79-72 home loss to Rutgers on Wednesday. The Wildcats, who were -9.5 point favorites, failed to cover the spread.

Northwestern trailed 43-35 at halftime but played a closer second half, outscoring Rutgers 37-36. The game’s total points of 151 exceeded the O/U line of 137.5.

Badgers Offense Breakdown

Wisconsin’s offense put up 68 points in their last game, shooting 37.3% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 44.1%. They connected on 33.3% of their three-point attempts, going 9-for-27 from beyond the arc, and hit 71.4% of their free throws, making 15 of 21 attempts.

John Tonje led the way with 23 points, hitting 5 of 8 threes and shooting 50% overall. Rodney Rice and Ja’Kobi Gillespie each added 16 points, with Gillespie also contributing 5 assists. Derik Queen grabbed 12 rebounds despite shooting just 21.4% from the field.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Ace Bailey and Jalen Leach combined for 60 points in Northwestern’s recent game, with Bailey hitting 5 of 8 from deep and finishing with 37 points on 65% shooting. Leach added 23 points, shooting 66.7% overall and 60% from three-point range.

As a team, Northwestern shot 42.4% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc, with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They connected on 83.3% of their free throws and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, with Nick Martinelli contributing 10 boards and 16 points despite shooting just 31.2% from the floor.

Badgers Team Defense

Wisconsin’s defense gave up 76 points in their last game, allowing the opposition to shoot 40% from the field. They held the team to 33% shooting on two-point attempts, with 12 makes on 36 tries.

From beyond the arc, the opposing team hit 12 of 24 threes, shooting 50%. Wisconsin also sent them to the line 21 times, where they made 16 free throws, a 76% conversion rate. The Badgers allowed 9 offensive rebounds.

Wildcats Team Defense

Wisconsin’s defense gave up 76 points in their last game, with the opponent shooting 40% from the field on 24/60 shooting. The Badgers held them to 33% shooting on two-point attempts, with the opponent making 12 of 36 shots.

From beyond the arc, Wisconsin allowed the opponent to shoot 50%, as they connected on 12 of 24 three-point attempts. The opponent also went 16/21 from the free-throw line, shooting 76%. Wisconsin gave up 9 offensive rebounds.

Badgers vs Wildcats Trends

  • Across the Badgers last ten road games, the team averaged 78 points per game while allowing 77. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 7-3, while going 5-5 straight-up.
  • In their last three games at home, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 0-3 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 70 points per game in these contests.
  • Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 2-8. But, their mark vs the spread was just 5-5.
  • In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Badgers have a strong straight up record of 5-0. In addition, their ATS record was 4-1 in these scenarios.

Badgers vs Wildcats Prediction

The Wildcats come in as the underdog at +1.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 142.5 and given that our model is projecting 145 points between the teams, we like the over.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.