Michigan Wolverines vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/02/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 2, 2023

Venue:  Welsh Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL 

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Michigan +4.5, Northwestern -4.5; Over/Under:  139 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Michigan +4.5, Northwestern -4.5; Over/Under:  139 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Michigan +4.5, Northwestern -4.5; Over/Under:  139 points

Michigan Wolverines:  11-10 (5-5) (10th place, Big Ten)

Northwestern Wildcats:  15-6 (6-4) (3rd place, Big Ten)

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Michigan Wolverines:  2-3  last 5

Northwestern Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Michigan is coming into this game with an 11-10 record overall and they are 1-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 5-5 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Purdue Boilermakers and the Penn State Nittany Lions in their last game. Jett Howard led the team in points in that game with 21 while Kobe Bufkin was next on the team with 8 points. Hunter Dickinson and Dug McDaniel each led the team in assists in that game with 3 while Terrance Williams II and Kobe Bufkin each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 42.4% from the field, 27.3% from 3-point range, and 62.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70.4 PPG against them. Michigan has an ATS record of 9-11-1 this season and their O/U record is 12-9.

Northwestern is coming into this game with a 15-6 record overall and they are 10-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 6-4 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in their last game. Boo Buie led the team in points in that game with 20 while Chase Audige was next on the team with 15 points. Boo Buie led the team in assists in that game with 3 while Matthew Nicholson and Tydus Verhoeven each led the team in rebounds with 5. They were 46.6% from the field, 23.5% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 69.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.2 PPG against them. Northwestern has an ATS record of 12-9 this season and their O/U record is 10-11.

The current betting odds have Northwestern listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Northwestern has been a big surprise this year with how well they have been playing but they enter this game with a 15-6 record overall. They have been making their way up the standings in the Big Ten lately with their 6-4 conference record and they have been a great home team this year with their 10-3 home record. Michigan has been struggling a lot this season as they can barely stay above .500 right now with their 11-10 record overall. They are only 5-5 in their conference games this season as they haven't been great and they have been terrible in road games with a 1-4 road record too. They have lost 2 games in a row now entering this one and they have lost those games by some pretty big margins too. Northwestern is really starting to get hot lately and will be looking to bounce back here at home after a loss in their last game. The best way to place a bet here is on Northwestern to cover the spread in this game.

Michigan Northwestern Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, February 2, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Northwestern 81 Michigan 72.

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Michigan Wolverines: 24-12 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 7-1 ATS off a loss by 10 points or more to a conference rival. 29-10 OVER as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points.

Northwestern Wildcats: 3-10 ATS after a combined score of 155 points or more. 15-23 ATS after playing a game as an underdog. 8-2 OVER against conference opponents.

Michigan Wolverines:  Y. Khayat (F) Ques Thurs - Ankle. J. Llewellyn (G) out for season - Knee.

Northwestern Wildcats:  J. Roper II (G) Ques Thurs - Ankle. L. Hunger (F) out for season - Foot.

“So (we knew) that the shooting was gonna play a role. But you know, there was times where they were uncontested. There were times when they got layups, and that can't happen. So that's why I say, you know, it starts with me, I gotta do a better job of preparing us, I will do better to help put our team in a better position than what we show today.” - Juwan Howard after his team’s loss against PSU in their last game.

“I want it for everybody. I remember the first go-round, just how happy I was for so many people — the players, the people who had been coming to games for so many years, everyone who didn’t get to taste those types of environments late in the season and going to a March Madness. I remember the emotion on all their faces.” - Chris Collins on trying to get his team back to the NCAA Tournament this year.

K. Bufkin 

H. Dickinson 

J. Howard 

D. McDaniel 

T. Williams

C. Audige 

R. Beran 

T. Berry 

B. Buie 

M. Nicholson

PPG: H. Dickinson (17.7)

APG: D. McDaniel (3.5)

Reb/G: H. Dickinson (8.5)

PPG: B. Buie (15.9)

APG: B. Buie (4.3)

Reb/G: M. Nicholson (6.1)

Coaches:

Michigan Wolverines: Juwan Howard (4th season)

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (10th season)