Northwestern Wildcats vs Michigan State Spartans Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/08/2026

Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Thursday, January 8, 2026

Venue:  Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NW +12.5, MSU -12.5; Over/Under:  142.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NW +12.5, MSU -12.5; Over/Under:  142.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NW +12.5, MSU -12.5; Over/Under:  142.5 points

Northwestern Wildcats:  8-6 (0-3) (16th place, Big Ten)

Michigan State Spartans:  13-2 (3-1) (4th place, Big Ten)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! William Burns is on a HOT STREAK in college basketball on a 10-4 CBB RUN for +$5,550 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Northwestern Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Michigan State Spartans:  4-1  last 5

Northwestern is entering this game with an 8-6 record overall, a 0-3 record in conference games, and they are 1-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their last game. Nick Martinelli led the team in points in that game with 26 while Jayden Reid and Arrinten Page each were next on the team with 19. Jayden Reid led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Nick Martinelli led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 49.1% from the field, 26.1% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70.4 PPG against them. Northwestern has an ATS record of 5-8-1 this season and their O/U record is 9-4-1.

Michigan State is entering this game with a 13-2 record overall, a 3-1 conference record, and they are 8-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the USC Trojans in their last game. Coen Carr led the team in points in that game with 18 while Jaxon Kohler was next on the team with 16. Jeremy Fears Jr. led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Jaxon Kohler led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 50% from the field, 31.8% from 3-point range, and 72.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 79.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.4 PPG against them. Michigan State has an ATS record of 6-7-2 this season and their O/U record is 5-10.

The current betting odds have Michigan State listed as a 12.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Michigan State has looked great in their games this season with their 13-2 record overall and their 3-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They have looked great on their home court too with their 8-1 home record this year. Meanwhile, Northwestern has looked good in their games this season with their 8-6 record overall, but their 0-3 conference record has them right near the bottom of the Big Ten. They haven't been a great road team so far either with their 1-1 road record this season. Northwestern is 3-2 in their last 5 games and they haven't looked great in these games with their schedule not being very strong. They have already put themselves in a big hole in the Big Ten, and they haven't even seen a ranked team yet. Michigan State is 4-1 in their last 5 games and they have been rolling in their games lately, off a big win over USC in their last one. They have been blowing out a lot of teams this year, and they have had the much tougher schedule too. Their only home loss was against Duke who is one of the best teams in the nation, and their only conference loss was on the road against Nebraska who is still undefeated, both losses being in tight games too. Michigan State has a lot more talent on their side here and they bounced back nicely after that loss to Nebraska, look for Michigan State to get back on a roll here with another double digit win. The best way to place a bet here is on Michigan State to cover the spread in this game. 

Northwestern Michigan State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, January 8, 2026 (6:30 pm ET start time) is Michigan State 88 Northwestern 62.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Northwestern Wildcats Michigan State Spartans prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

Northwestern Wildcats: 7-4 ATS in a road game where the total is 140 to 149.5. 26-16 ATS versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 4-0 UNDER on the road off a home loss. 3-0 UNDER on the road off a home loss against a conference rival.

Michigan State Spartans: 25-16 ATS as a home favorite or pick. 24-16 ATS when the total is 140 to 149.5. 13-7 ATS versus teams who average 6 or less steals/game on the season. 28-14 UNDER as a home favorite or pick. 28-12 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game.

Northwestern Wildcats:  C. Bennerman (F) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Michigan State Spartans:  K. Glenn (F) Out - Knee.

“We are struggling on the defensive end of the floor. We are just having a hard time right now. We have to get back to the basics.” - Chris Collins on his team this season. 

"I felt for Eric, I was on a trip last year, sometimes you go on these trips, they looked a little tired earlier. But give my guys credit, we got back to playing some defense, they pushed the ball a little better, Jeremy did a nice job of that, and we made some shots." - Tom Izzo after his team’s win against USC in their last game.

A. Ciaravino 

N. Martinelli 

A. Page 

J. Reid 

T. Singleton

C. Carr 

C. Cooper 

J. Fears 

T. Fort 

J. Kohler

PPG: Nick Martinelli (23)

APG: Jayden Reid (5.4)

Reb/G: Nick Martinelli (6.5)

PPG: Jaxon Kohler (14.2)

APG: Jeremy Fears Jr. (9)

Reb/G: Jaxon Kohler (10.2)

Coaches:

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (13th season)

Michigan State Spartans: Tom Izzo (31st season)