NCAA Betting Picks: Northwestern Wildcats vs Indiana Hoosiers
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
by Mike Stewart
Northwestern Wildcats, still in the hunt for its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, had won three in a row before Sunday's 87-77 setback at Purdue. No. 20 Indiana Hoosiers, meanwhile, snapped out of a recent funk by winning its last two, including an 84-71 triumph over Illinois last Thursday.
The Wildcats have had their way in recent years against the Hoosiers, winning six of the last seven meetings. Northwestern swept last season's home-and-home series, taking a 93-81 victory in Evanston on Jan. 9 before pulling out a 70-64 road win on Feb. 19.
The two schools rank 1-2 in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, with the Hoosiers at 43.6 percent and the Wildcats at 38.6 percent.
- Northwestern Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers
When: 6:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: ET, Big Ten Network.
The Hoosiers have opened as 9-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NCAA Basketball Odds.
Northwestern Wildcats (15-9): The Wildcats boast two of the Big Ten's top four scorers in senior SF John Shurna (1st, 19.9 ppg) and junior SG Drew Crawford (4th, 16.8), both of whom are shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range. Northwestern is tied for the national lead in assist-turnover ratio (1.58) and also ranks among the top 10 in Division I in turnovers (10.1) and 3-pointers per game (9.0). Post play has been a concern — the Wildcats are a distant last in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (minus-4.5) and 11th in scoring defense (67.9).
Indiana Hoosiers (19-6): The Hoosiers lead the league in scoring (78.7), field-goal percentage (49.6) and 3-point percentage, and they are generating more points per game at the foul line (18.6) than any BCS conference team. Freshman F Cody Zeller has emerged as an All-America candidate, leading the team with 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 64.8 percent from the floor. Indiana boasts three of the Big Ten's top six 3-point shooters, with senior G Matt Roth (54.9 percent) and junior G Jordan Hulls (49.5 percent) holding down the top two spots.
1. Despite Northwestern's recent dominance in the series, Indiana holds a lopsided 109-46 advantage through 155 all-time meetings.
2. The Wildcats have won in two of their last three trips to Bloomington, with their 75-53 victory in 2009 snapping a string of 35 consecutive losses in Assembly Hall.
3. Shurna, who ranks second on Northwestern's career scoring list, totaled 41 points in the Wildcats' two wins over Indiana last season.
NCAA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Hoosiers 84, Wildcats 66.
Bet on NCAA College Basketball games with SBG Global Sportsbook
Related Articles
- NCAA Basketball Prediction: Purdue Boilermakers vs Indiana Hoosiers
- Jan 22nd NCAA Picks: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Indiana Hoosiers
- NCAA Basketball Predictions: New Mexico State Aggies vs Indiana Hoosiers
- NCAA Prediction: Indiana Hoosiers and Iowa Hawkeyes
- Sweet Sixteen Odds and Picks: Indiana Hoosiers vs Kentucky Wildcats
Category
Tags
assembly hall - cody zeller - drew crawford - indiana hoosiers - john shurna - jordan hulls - matt roth - northwestern wildcats
Proud member of the