The Northwestern Wildcats (15-5) head to Indiana to take on the No. 25-ranked Hoosiers (16-3) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Hoosiers enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Illinois 103-69 on Tuesday. Troy Williams was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 62-56 loss against Maryland on Tuesday. Sanjay Lumpkin had a good game for Northwestern, accounting for six points, six rebounds, and one steal.
It might turn into a shootout as a pair of the nation’s top offenses match up. Indiana ranks fourth in the country with 122.6 points per 100 possessions, while Northwestern is 35th in that metric (114.0).
Indiana is an eight-point favorite against Northwestern and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 140 points. The Hoosiers come into this game 16-3 Straight Up (SU) and 10-9 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hoosiers are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Indiana is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 17.3 assists per game.
In the other locker room, the Wildcats have 15-5 SU and 8-7-2 ATS records. The Wildcats are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in Division I at 1.67.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Northwestern came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The Wildcats lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind, ATS Winner – NW, O/U – Over
Notes
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana’s last 9 games at home.
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Indiana is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Northwestern.
Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Northwestern.
Indiana is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Northwestern.
The Indiana Hoosiers currently hold a perfect 6-0 record against the Big Ten Conference, and the Northwestern Wildcats sit at 3-4 in conference games.
Northwestern has allowed an average of 69.2 points per away game this season. Indiana averages 90.9 points per home game, ranking sixth in scoring.
In its last game, Indiana won by a margin of 34 points. Northwestern is 7-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Indiana has a 10-1 record in blowouts.
The Northwestern Wildcats rank 35th for their offensive rating of 114.0. The Indiana Hoosiers have a defensive rating of 97.4 (ranked 78th).
The Northwestern Wildcats average a field goal percentage of 46.1% this season. The Indiana Hoosiers are 3-2 when opponents have a FG% of 46.1% or greater.
The Indiana Hoosiers average 23.0 three point attempts per game, and the Northwestern Wildcats attempt 24.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Indiana is 11-2 and Northwestern is 13-5.
The fifth-ranked team in the category, Northwestern has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.67 this season. Indiana ranks lower at 114th with an A/TO of 1.17.
Northwestern, the 95th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.4 rebounds per game. Indiana does worse, ranked 102nd with 38.3.
The Indiana Hoosiers make an average of 7.7 steals per game. When the Northwestern Wildcats allow 7 or more steals, they are a solid 4-2.
