Northwestern vs Indiana Picks and Odds (Jan. 8)
- Indiana and Northwestern renew their Big Ten rivalry on Sunday, January 9
- No. 15 Indiana is a 7.5-point home favorite over the Wildcats at Assembly Hall
- Read below for Northwestern vs Indiana odds, analysis and prediction
No. 15 Indiana (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten) is a 7.5-point home favorite over Northwestern in a Big Ten game at noon on Sunday on FS1. The Hoosiers have lost three of their last five games. Most recently they failed to hold a 21-point lead in a 91-89 loss at Iowa the last time out Thursday.
Northwestern (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) has won seven of its last eight games. That stretch is bracketed by conference wins at Michigan State and against Illinois. The Wildcats are off to their best start since their 2016-17 team opened 12-2.
Northwestern vs Indiana Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Wildcats | +7.5 (-118) | +240 | Over 132.5 (-110) |
| Indiana Hoosiers | -7.5 (-104) | -300 | Under 132.5 (-110) |
Odds from FanDuel on January 7th. Be sure to check out the FanDuel promo code ahead of tip-off.
No. 15 Indiana is a 7.5-point home favorite over Northwestern in the first of their two meetings this season. Indiana is 5-4 SU and 1-7-1 ATS in the series since 2017. They’re 0-5-1 ATS since a 66-46 home victory over the Wildcats on Jan. 14, 2018. Indiana is 5-1 SU and 2-4 ATS at home, losing 74-67 as a nine-point favorite in the last meeting in Bloomington in 2020.
The Wildcats are 8-6 ATS this season and 2-0 in true road games. Indiana is 6-7-1 ATS this season, 5-3 at home. The total has gone over the number in nine of the Hoosiers’ 14 games and has been under in 11 of the Wildcats’ 14.
Indiana Looks To Recover
The Hoosiers return home to face Northwestern after their worst loss of the season, a 91-89 defeat at unranked Iowa. The Hoosiers they could not hold a 28-7 first-half lead and missed three free throws (one intentionally) in the final 86 seconds. Indiana’s other three losses are against No. 5 Arizona in Las Vegas, No. 8 Kansas and 11-4 Rutgers on the road.
Trayce Jackson-Davis is making his presence known early. 😤@TrayceJackson x @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/IpyjjiSXWE
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 6, 2023
Mike Woodson’s team gets good shots. The Hoosiers are fourth in Division I in field goal percentage (51.0) and shot 54.2 against Iowa but were done in by 23 fouls that the Hawkeyes turned into 22 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis (17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds) and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (11.6 point, 4.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists) are the scoring leaders.
The Hoosiers are 2-1 without point guard Xavier Johnson. He suffered a broken right foot in the loss at Kansas on Dec. 17 and is expected to miss most of the rest of the season.
Johnson averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in 11 games. In Johnson’s stead, sophomore Tamar Bates (9.1 points) made his first start against Iowa after freshman Malik Reneau (6.9 points) had started the previous two.
Starting forward Race Thompson suffered a knee injury against Iowa and is questionable.
Northwestern On a Roll
The Wildcats are off to the best start since their 2016-17 NCAA tournament team.
That’s in large part due to senior guards Chase Audige and Boo Buie, who play well at both ends. Audige had 21 points, four three-pointers and four steals in a 73-60 victory at Illinois the last time out Wednesday and Buie had 15 points and four assists.
The Wildcats limited the Illini to 39.7 percent shooting from the field and used a 22-2 second-half run to take control. They made 32 of 40 free throws.
Massive turnover in the Big Ten is a real theme. 15 of the league's Top 20 scorers from a year ago will not return in 22-23.
The five who do return:
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Jamison Battle, Minnesota
Zach Edey, Purdue
Boo Buie, Northwestern— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 17, 2022
Audige (15.8 points) and Buie (13.9) are the only double-digit scorers on a team that leads with its defense. The Wildcats are shooting only 38 percent from the field but are limiting teams to 36.3 shooting (fourth in Division I) and 57.2 points per game (seventh in Division I). They have a plus-four rebound margin with junior Matthew Nicholson (6.3 points, 6.7 rebounds) adding girth inside.
Northwestern vs Indiana Prediction
Indiana is 8-0 SU at home at home, but the loss of Johnson and now Thompson cuts into their depth.
The Wildcats won the lone meeting between the two in Evanston last season. They split against the Hoosiers the year before, winning in Bloomington and losing at home in double overtime while covering all three games.
Audige and the Wildcats are hitting their stride and play well in this series. Take the points.
Pick: Northwestern +7.5 (-118)
Season CBK: 14-8 ATS
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Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
