The No.8-seeded Michigan Wolverines (20-11) and No.9-seeded Northwestern Wildcats (20-11) meet in the second round of the Big 10 tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and will air on BTN.
The Wolverines fell to Iowa 71-61 in their last game. Derrick Walton Jr. was the team’s leading scorer with 14 points. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-54 win over Nebraska in their last outing. Alex Olah led the game in scoring by accounting for 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Michigan ranks 322nd in the nation in possessions per game (65.6 possessions per game), while Northwestern is 337th (65.0). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Wildcats. They are 337th in the nation in FTA rate (28.8), while the Wolverines are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 26.3, ranking sixth in the country).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Wolverines winning the first matchup 72-63. Walton Jr. was a standout player in the game, producing 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
The Wolverines enter the game with records of 20-11 Straight Up (SU) and 15-15 Against The Spread (ATS). The Wolverines are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .734 from the free throw line. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Michigan, which ranks 10th at 1.51.
On the other side, Northwestern has a SU record of 20-11 and an ATS record of 15-14-2. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Wildcats. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.58.
Michigan beat Northwestern in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 8-2 over Northwestern in their most recent games. Additionally, Michigan holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Michigan and Northwestern each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – NW, ATS Winner – NW
Notes
“Michigan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Michigan is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Northwestern”.
“Michigan is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Northwestern”.
Michigan holds a 10-8 record this season against teams in the Big Ten Conference. Northwestern is 8-10 in conference matchups.
The Northwestern Wildcats rank 70th for their offensive rating of 110.9. The Michigan Wolverines have a defensive rating of 102.3 (ranked 47th).
Michigan has an average field goal percentage of 47.2%. Northwestern is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Michigan Wolverines and the Northwestern Wildcats both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Michigan is 35th and 10th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Northwestern is 112th and 60th in these categories.
Northwestern ranks among the best in the nation in assists at 25th (16.5 assists per game). Michigan is ranked 75th with 15.0 assists per game.
Northwestern makes an average of 3.9 steals per game. Michigan has a solid 14-9 record when it allows at least 3 steals.
