Michigan State Spartans vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/02/2022

Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Sunday, January 2, 2022

Venue:  Welsh Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  MSU -2, NW +2; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  MSU -2, NW +2; Over/Under:  139.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  MSU -2.5, NW +2.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

 

Michigan State Spartans:  11-2 (1st place, Big Ten)

Northwestern Wildcats:  8-2 (4th place, Big Ten)

 

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Michigan State Spartans:  5-0 last 5

Northwestern Wildcats:  4-1 last 5

 

 

 

MSU is coming into this game with an 11-2 record overall and they are 2-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 3rd conference matchup of the year and they are currently 2-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Baylor Bears but they have gone on a 6 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Louisville Cardinals, the Toledo Rockets, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, and the High Point Panthers in their last game. Gabe Brown led the team in points in that game with 24 while Joey Hauser was next on the team with 17 points. AJ Hoggard led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Hauser led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 47.5% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 76.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.3 PPG against them. MSU has an ATs record of 8-5 this season and their O/U record is 6-6-1.

 

 

NW is coming into this game with an 8-2 record overall and they are 6-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 2nd conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 1-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons but they have gone on a 3 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Maryland Terrapins, the NJIT Highlanders, and the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars in their last game. Pete Nance led the team in points in that game with 15 while Ty Berry and Boo Buie were both next on the team with 11 points each. Ryan Greer led the team in assists in that game off the bench with 5 while Robbie Beran and Nance both led the team in rebounds with 8 each. They were 55.2% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point range, and 70.8% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 79 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 60.8 PPG against them. NW has an ATS record of 5-4 this season and their O/U record is 4-5.

 

MSU is coming into this game as a 2 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. MSU is a much better team than NW is and they have been having a great season at 11-2 so far. They won their last game by over 10 points yet their coach was not happy with their performance in that game so they should be stepping up in this game and responding to him with a much better performance here. The best bet to place in this game is on MSU to cover the spread.

 

Michigan State Northwestern Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Sunday, January 2, 2022 (2:00 pm ET start time) is MSU 83 NW 66.

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Michigan State Spartans: Will be posted soon.

Northwestern Wildcats: Will be posted soon.

 

 

Michigan State Spartans:  S. Izzo (G) Ques Sun - Undisclosed injury. P. Brooks (G) Prob Sun - Undisclosed injury. M. Christie (G) Prob Sun - Illness. M. Bingham Jr. (F) Prob Sun - Illness. D. Smith (G) Ques Sun - Undisclosed injury.

Northwestern Wildcats:  None.

 

 

“I’m totally disappointed with our effort. That doesn’t happen very often for me. “Your top-10 team, we weren’t a top-50 team tonight.” - Tom Izzo on his team’s win against High Point.

 

 

“We want to be one of those teams whose name is called in March.” - Chris Collins on his goal for the team this season.

 

 

 

M. Bingham 

G. Brown 

M. Christie 

J. Hauser 

T. Walker

 

R. Beran 

T. Berry 

B. Buie 

P. Nance 

C. Simmons

 

 

PPG: G. Brown (14.2)

APG: T. Walker (5.3)

Reb/G: M. Bingham Jr. (7.8)

 

PPG: P. Nance (16.3)

APG: B. Buie (5.7)

Reb/G: P. Nance (8)

 

Coaches:

Michigan State Spartans: Tom Izzo (27th season)

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (9th season)