Back to NCAAB Matchups

Michigan vs Northwestern

Thu Feb 2 7:00PM
68
Final
51
 12TODDS
MICH264268138
NWEST252651-3.5

Michigan vs Northwestern Prediction & Matchup

Published on

Michigan is on the road playing Northwestern at the Welsh-Ryan Arena stadium on Thursday, 2/2/2023 @ 7:00pm EST. Northwestern is the betting favorite opening at and the line hasn't moved.

Welsh-Ryan Arena will host the Michigan Wolverines and Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday. The 7:00 p.m. ET tip-off will be held in Evanston, IL. The Wildcats are 4.5-point favorites and the total is 139 points. In Sunday's 83-61 loss to Penn State, Michigan ended the season 11-10 both SU and ATS. In their past five games, the Wolverines have won 2-3 and are 5-5 in Big Ten play. On Wednesday, Northwestern was defeated 86-70 by Iowa. The Wildcats had a 15-6 SU record and a 12-9 ATS record. With a 3-2 record in their last five games, the Wildcats are 6-4 in conference play.

Has Michigan already reached the end of its rope?

The Wolverines have lost five of their last seven games, dropping them 4.5 games behind conference leader Purdue. Will UM be able to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with just ten regular season games remaining? In their last game against the Nittany Lions, the Wolverines fell behind by as many as 32 points. Michigan's defense was unable to hold its own, giving up 83 points on 54.4 percent shooting. The Panthers shot 13-for-30 from three-point range and outrebounded the University of Michigan 36-27. 42.4 percent of the Wolverines' shots came from the field, and 27.3 percent from three-point range.

This is Northwestern's second NCAA tournament appearance

In the four games since losing to Michigan on Jan. 15, the Wildcats have beaten Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Three games behind conference leader Purdue in third place, NU is among the top teams in the Big Ten. In spite of that, the Wildcats were unable to maintain their momentum at Iowa on Tuesday. A halftime tie with the Hawkeyes led to a 47-31 loss in the second half. A 55.8% field-goal percentage and an 18-for-22 foul line percentage helped Iowa to a 55.8 percent overall shooting percentage. Additionally, the Wildcats were outbounded 33-24.

According to the B1G preseason poll, the Wildcats are capable of making the tournament and maybe even hanging around. The Northwestern Wildcats, led by Boo Buie, are capable on offense and stout on defense, allowing opponents to score 62.2 points (24th) on 40.1 percent shooting (31st). As long as they can take Hunter Dickinson out of the game, they'll make it difficult for the Wolverines to score. Unlike in the first meeting, Michigan struggles without Dickinson and won't shoot over 50 percent against Northwestern. It's likely that the Wildcats will gain an early advantage and cruise to a comfortable win against the Walverines in Thursday's matchup.

Wolverines vs Wildcats Prediction for Today's Game

Based on recent trends and head to head stats, Wildcats the Scorecaster predicts Wildcats to win tonight's game by 22 points. This model factors in recent against the spread (ATS) trends and scoring which predicts Wildcats to cover the 4 point spread and the total to go and the total to go over 139 points.

PREDICTED SCORE: Michigan 61 to Northwestern 83

Scorecaster algorithmic predictions factor in up-to-date player injuries for both the Michigan Wolverines and Northwestern Wildcats, plus recent team & player performances and defensive & offensive matchups from recent history.

Curated Picks & Predictions

  • Based on the current lines, Oddsmakers predict the score to be MICH 74, NWEST 65.
  • Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Northwestern will win straight-up is 66%.
  • 51% of SportsJaw players predict Northwestern Wildcats to cover.
  • OddsShark has not made a prediction yet.
  • 59% picked Michigan Wolverines on Covers.com

Michigan Highlights

With a power ranking of 262, Michigan is ranked #148 in offense (scoring an average of 73.43 per game), #209 in defense (allowing an average of 70.43 points to be scored against them per game) and are 11-10 (9-11-1 ATS) this season.

Northwestern Highlights

Northwestern Wildcats has a power ranking of 131 and are #225 for offense (scoring an average of 69.86 per game), #23 for defense (giving up an average of 62.24 points per game) and 15-6 (12-9 ATS) overall. Michigan went 0-3 (1-2 ATS) in their last 3 matchups against Northwestern.

Written by SportsJaw Staff
Categorized as NCAAB Predictions

+ Full Preview

Current Odds[ - ]

 
MICH
NWEST
Open
Side
+3.5
-3.5
-4.5
Moneyline
+140
-165
-185
Total
Over 138
Under 138
139

Track your picks and showcase your betting acumen.

Power Rankings[ - ]

Michigan Wolverines
HIGHLIGHTS
Northwestern Wildcats
148th
OFFENSE
225th
184th
FG %
338th
182nd
3 PT %
276th
131st
Rebounds
129th
209th
DEFENSE
23rd
150th
FG %
30th
123rd
3 PT %
269th
318th
Rebounds
245th

Last 10 Games Stats[ + ]

Michigan WolverinesMichigan

vs PSUL 61-83
42.37FG %
62.5FT %
63 PT %
vs PURL 70-75
44.07FG %
64.29FT %
93 PT %
vs MINNW 60-56
36.67FG %
77.78FT %
23 PT %
vs MARYLL 58-64
41.82FG %
50FT %
83 PT %
vs NWESTW 85-78
51.79FG %
70.83FT %
103 PT %
vs IOWAL 84-93
49.25FG %
66.67FT %
143 PT %
vs MSUL 53-59
34.55FG %
75FT %
33 PT %
vs PSUW 79-69
46.55FG %
68FT %
83 PT %
vs MARYLW 81-46
50FG %
75.86FT %
33 PT %
vs CMUL 61-63
35.09FG %
71.43FT %
63 PT %

Northwestern WildcatsNorthwestern

vs IOWAL 70-86
46.55FG %
85.71FT %
43 PT %
vs MINNW 81-61
51.67FG %
83.33FT %
93 PT %
vs NEBW 78-63
51.79FG %
75FT %
113 PT %
vs WISW 66-63
43.14FG %
88.89FT %
63 PT %
vs MICHL 78-85
42.19FG %
75FT %
63 PT %
vs RUTL 62-65
41.18FG %
55.56FT %
103 PT %
vs INDYW 84-83
46.03FG %
67.86FT %
73 PT %
vs ILLW 73-60
32.08FG %
80FT %
73 PT %
vs OSUL 57-73
28.36FG %
58.82FT %
93 PT %
vs BROWNW 63-58
34.48FG %
90.48FT %
43 PT %

Injuries[ - ]

Michigan WolverinesMichigan

  • GJaelin Llewellyn (Is out for season, ACL)

Northwestern WildcatsNorthwestern

  • GJulian Roper II (Left last game, is "?" , Ankle)
  • FLuke Hunger (Is out for season, Foot)

Infographics & Predictions[ - ]

Oo

MICH +3.5 (-110)

Spread Pick

$100

Bet

$91

Win

Over 139 (-110)

Total Pick

$100

Bet

$91

Win

Reply
Michigan vs Northwestern infographic

After crunching 8 data points, our relative predictions model has elected to not make a prediction on this game - view the Michigan vs Northwestern infographic for details.

Reply
Michigan vs Northwestern prediction and stats

The Wolverines have a slightly better offense and the Wildcats have a stronger defense. The Wolverines won more games straight up and against the spread over their last 3 matchups. Adjusted score predictions based on power rankings and strength of schedule: Wolverines 68 to Wildcats 71.

Reply

Michigan Injuries

  • G Jaelin Llewellyn Is out for season, ACL

Northwestern Injuries

  • G Julian Roper II Left last game, is "?" , Ankle
  • F Luke Hunger Is out for season, Foot

Upcoming NCAAB
More NCAAB picks
Thu, 6:30 PM2 Posts
Michigan St. Spartans
MICHS
MICHS
-1.5
Kansas St. Wildcats
KANST
KANST
+1.5
Thu, 7:15 PM2 Posts
Arkansas Razorbacks
ARK
Arkansas
+4
Connecticut Huskies
UCONN
UCONN
-4
Thu, 9:00 PM2 Posts
Florida Atlantic Owls
FLAAT
FLAAT
+5.5
Tennessee Volunteers
TENN
Tennessee
-5.5
Thu, 9:45 PM2 Posts
Gonzaga Bulldogs
GONZG
Gonzaga
+1.5
UCLA Bruins
UCLA
UCLA
-1.5
Fri, 6:30 PM2 Posts
San Diego St. Aztecs
SDST
SDST
+7.5
Alabama Crimson Tide
ALA
Alabama
-7.5
Fri, 7:15 PM2 Posts
Miami Hurricanes
MIAMI
Miami
+7
Houston Cougars
HOUST
Houston
-7
Fri, 9:00 PM2 Posts
Princeton Tigers
PRNCE
Princeton
+10
Creighton Bluejays
CREIG
Creighton
-10
Fri, 9:45 PM2 Posts
Xavier Musketeers
XAVIR
Xavier
+4
Texas Longhorns
TEXAS
Texas
-4
© 2023 SportsJaw.
SportsJaw.com is not affiliated with the teams or leagues listed on this site and makes no guarantee about the accuracy or completeness of the information herein.