Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 1/2/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Sunday, January 2, 2022

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

The Northwestern Wildcats (8-2) welcome the Michigan State Spartans (11-2) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday.

The Michigan State Spartans played High Point and went home with a win by a final score of 81-68 in their last contest. Michigan State wrapped up the contest with a 47.5% field goal percentage (28 out of 59) and converted 12 of 24 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Spartans made 13 of 17 tries for a rate of 76.5%. In terms of rebounding, they collected 38 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 20 assists in the game while forcing 10 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to defending, Michigan State let their opponent shoot 46.3% from the field on 25 of 54 shooting. High Point distributed 18 dimes and had 4 steals for the matchup. On top of that, High Point pulled down 24 rebounds (3 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. High Point finished the game at 80.0% from the free throw line by converting 8 of their 10 attempts. They also made 10 out of their 19 tries from downtown. In reference to fouls, the Spartans left the arena with 12 and High Point recorded 18 fouls.

Joey Hauser is a guy who was a factor for the contest. He walked away from this one shooting 62.5% from the field and also recorded 3 assists. He played 29 minutes and snagged 11 rebounds. He finished with 17 points on 5 of 8 shooting.

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Michigan State will play this contest with a record of 11-2 so far this season. They are averaging 75.8 points per game (101st in Division 1) while going 46.8% from the field. The Spartans are hitting 39.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (103 of 259) and 71.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Michigan State is pulling down 40.8 boards per game and has totaled 222 dimes on the year, which is 22nd in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 14.0 times per contest and as a unit they commit 14.8 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Spartans are forcing 11.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.2 fouls. They are 195th in D-1 in giving up assists with 155 conceded for the year. The Spartans defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 39.4% (315 of 800) and they surrender 31.9 rebounds per contest as a group. They surrender 29.5% on shots from distance while they are 103rd in Division 1 in PPG allowed (65.3).

For their last game, the Northwestern Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 90-50 against Illinois Springfield. The Wildcats were able to collect 35 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 40 for the contest. They turned the ball over 8 times, while earning 6 steals in the game. Illinois Springfield earned 23 fouls in this matchup which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for 24 tries. They were able to convert 17 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 70.8%. In relation to 3-point shots, Northwestern made 9 out of 23 attempts (39.1%). In all, the Wildcats ended up going 32 for 58 from the field which had them at 55.2%. The Wildcats allowed Illinois Springfield to make 17 of 55 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 30.9% for this contest. They finished 40.0% from behind the 3-point line by going 10 of 25 and ended up shooting 6 out of 13 at the free throw line (46.2%). Regarding attacking the glass, Northwestern allowed Illinois Springfield to snag 28 in all (5 on the offensive side).

Pete Nance was important for the Wildcats in the game. He scored 15 points in his 18 mins on the hardwood and accumulated 2 assists for the contest. He made 5 of 9 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%, and accounted for 8 rebounds.

Northwestern has a win-loss record of 8-2 on the year. The Wildcats are committing 16.4 fouls per contest and they go 77.7% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 19.1 times per game (8th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 8.7 times per game. Northwestern has scored 790 points this season (79.0 per game) and they snag 38.8 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Wildcats are hitting on 46.5% from the field, which is ranked 88th in D-1.

The Northwestern defense allows 34.9% on three-point shots (80 of 229) and their opposition makes 70.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 12.7 assists and 34.5 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 191st and 175th in Division 1. The Wildcats are ranked 37th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 60.8. They are forcing 14.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 36.6% from the floor (7th in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northwestern

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