Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 1/12/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Sunday, January 12, 2025

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: FOX

Welsh-Ryan Arena is the site where the Northwestern Wildcats (10-5) will attempt to defeat the Michigan State Spartans (13-2) on Sunday.

The Michigan State Spartans faced off with Washington and walked away with a win by a score of 88-54 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Spartans ended up finishing with 17 and Washington recorded 16 fouls. They also buried 3 out of their 16 shots from beyond the perimeter. Washington ended up going 65.2% from the free throw line by converting 15 of 23 tries. In addition, Washington grabbed 23 rebounds (6 offensive, 17 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Washington totaled 11 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. In the matter of the defense, Michigan State allowed 32.7% from the field on 18 of 55 shooting. They also doled out 24 assists in this matchup while forcing 15 turnovers and earning 10 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 36 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Spartans buried 17 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 94.4%. Michigan State ended the contest with a 52.5% field goal percentage (32 out of 61) and knocked down 7 out of their 21 three-point shots.

Jaden Akins is a guy who was a major factor for this game. He ended up walking away with 20 points on 8 out of 13 shooting. He played for 25 mins played and also grabbed 3 rebounds. He finished 61.5% from the floor and totaled 1 assist.

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Michigan State steps onto the court with a mark of 13-2 for the year. They are averaging 81.5 points per game (57th in the country) while going 47.7% from the floor. The Spartans are hitting 28.4% on three-point shots (86 of 303) and 82.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Michigan State is snagging 41.3 boards per game and has racked up 274 dimes for the year, which ranks 28th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 12.5 times per game and as a group are committing 15.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Spartans are forcing 12.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.9 personal fouls. They surrender 29.2% from beyond the arc and they are 51st in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (65.9). The Spartans are giving up a field goal percentage of 39.5% (352 of 892) and they surrender 30.4 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 150th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 194 relinquished for the campaign.

For their last game, the Northwestern Wildcats walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 79-61 when they played Purdue. In reference to how they rebounded, Northwestern permitted Purdue to pull down 34 in total (8 on the offensive side). They finished 40.0% from three-point range via 8 of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 15 out of 18 from the free throw line (83.3%). The Wildcats permitted Purdue to convert 28 out of 55 tries from the floor which had them shooting 50.9% for this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Wildcats went 23 for 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.3%. When discussing three-point attempts, Northwestern made 7 out of 25 attempts (28.0%). They were able to bury 8 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. Purdue committed 14 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 12 attempts. They turned the ball over 13 times, while earning 7 steals in this game. The Wildcats were able to collect 15 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 25 in this matchup.

Angelo Ciarvino ended up being a major contributor for the Wildcats in the matchup. He made 8 of 14 for the contest giving him a rate of 57.1%, and added 4 rebounds. He racked up 19 points in his 21 mins of playing time, but left the arena with no assists.

Northwestern has a record of 10-5 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Wildcats are connecting on 44.8% from the field, which is ranked 200th in Division 1. Northwestern has tallied 1,111 points for the campaign (74.1 per contest) and they pull in 35.1 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 15.1 times per contest (113th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.7 times per game. The Wildcats have committed 17.3 fouls per game and they go 72.6% from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats on defense are ranked 59th in the country in points allowed per game with 66.2. They are forcing 14.5 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.2% from the field (186th in D-1). The Northwestern defense gives up 32.7% on 3-pointers (105 of 321) and opponents are converting on 71.7% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 14.7 dimes and 33.0 rebounds every game, which ranks them 292nd and 111th in college.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northwestern

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