Nebraska vs. Northwestern Prediction: Can Keisei Tominaga, Cornhuskers Shock the Wildcats?

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Prediction: Can Keisei Tominga, Cornhuskers Shock the Wildcats?

Northwestern is coming off back-to-back losses against Purdue and Minnesota, both of which were in overtime. They look to bounce back against a strong Nebraska team at home tonight that is having one of their best seasons in a while. Nebraska is also coming off a loss in overtime against Illinois. the spread in this game is six points to the home team, as the Wildcats are expected to take care of business at home tonight. Are they the right play?

Nebraska vs. Northwestern DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH

• Date: February 7, 2024
• Game Time: 8:30 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN2

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Prediction

Overtime has not been kind to Northwestern over the last few games, as they nearly escaped West Lafayette with an overtime win last Wednesday against Purdue. They followed that up with a road loss in overtime against Minnesota on Saturday. It is pivotal that Northwestern wins the games they need to win down the stretch of the season if they hope to get an at-large bid in the March Madness tournament at the end of the year. Northwestern is once again led in scoring by senior Boo Buie. Buie is spending his fifth season at Northwestern, averaging 18.9 points per game. He is shooting 40% from three and leads an offense that ranks 31st in efficiency on Kenpom. Buie has had some struggles against Nebraska in the past, and he scored just nine points on 2-15 shooting against Nebraska when they lost them earlier in the season on the road 75–69. If Buie can get back on his game, Northwestern should be able to win this game at home, but I do not think they cover. Nebraska is easily having their best season under Fred Hoiberg in his time there. They have already tied their most wins in a season under Fred Hoiberg at 16, which is where they ended last season (16-16). The program is definitely looking up, as their win percentage has gone up every season in Lincoln under Hoiberg. Nebraska has rounded out a well-balanced offense with transfers Brice Williams and Rienk Mast. With these two additions on top of the perimeter sharpshooters Keisei Tominaga (38% three-point shooting) and CJ Wilcher (46.7% three-point shooting), Nebraska is looking like they really could contend for an at-large bid into the tournament this season. Nebraska is coming off a barn burner against Illinois, a game in which they took it to overtime and nearly beat them outright as big underdogs. The game before that, they led a big second-half comeback against top-10-ranked Wisconsin and beat them on their home floor. That was another impressive win to add to the résumé, as they have beat Purdue and Michigan State as well this season. All those games were at home, but they have shown good fight on the road, and they have already taken down three of the top dogs in the conference and have shown they can play with the best teams in the Big Ten. Nebraska has proven themselves this season, and I am more than comfortable taking six points here in this spot on the road. The fact that they beat Northwestern at home already puts all the pressure on the Wildcats in this game, as they need to this win to make sure they do not drop three in a row. Given that Nebraska has had such success shutting down Boo Buie over his time at Northwestern, I like Nebraska to come into this game with the right game plan and use their balanced offense to at least keep this one close. Given that we are getting a full six points here, I love this spot for Nebraska to keep this one close, and maybe even win outright.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Pick

2 Unit Pick: Nebraska +6 -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

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