The Northwestern Wildcats take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, WI. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on BTN.
Wisconsin is favored by -8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -450. The total is set at 155.5 points.
Here’s my Northwestern vs. Wisconsin predictions and college basketball picks for December 3, 2025.
Northwestern vs Wisconsin Prediction
My Pick: Northwestern +8.5 (Play to -6)
My Northwestern vs Wisconsin best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin Odds
| Northwestern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 155.5 -110o / -110u | +350 |
| Wisconsin Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 155.5 -110o / -110u | -450 |
- Northwestern vs Wisconsin spread: Wisconsin -8.5
- Northwestern vs Wisconsin over/under: 155.5 points
- Northwestern vs Wisconsin moneyline: Northwestern +350, Wisconsin -450
Northwestern vs Wisconsin College Basketball Betting Preview
Northwestern Basketball
Northwestern could be unbeaten if it weren't for its inability to finish out possessions with a rebound. The Wildcats allowed Virginia to grab 21 offensive boards and Oklahoma State to grab 15. That's par for the course, as they're 323rd nationally in defensive rebounding rate.
If the Wildcats just figure out how to rebound, everything changes. Their defensive efficiency is 85th nationally. On the flip side, Northwestern holds teams to 46% shooting from 2-point range and 28% from 3. Thus, rebounding is the only thing truly holding them back from being a passable defense.
Everything for Chris Collins' squad centers around the bigs. Nick Martinelli is one of the top scorers in America at 20 points per game. He's gotten a huge boost from the very athletic Arrinten Page, who adds 15 points a night.
With Wisconsin having a shaky interior defense, that dynamic frontcourt pair could feast offensively.
The Wildcats need a slower tempo game here. That might sound strange given that Wisconsin is known for playing slow under Greg Gard, but that's ancient history. The Badgers are 78th in adjusted tempo and Northwestern is 270th.
Northwestern has to be cerebral and establish the paint to have a chance to upset Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Basketball
What is Wisconsin? That's the question I found myself trying to answer after the Badgers dropped a game by double-digits versus TCU. Wisconsin has lost two of its last three games by double-digit points.
Shockingly, the Badgers' offense is the more disappointing of the two units thus far. They scored 0.93 PPP in the loss to BYU and 0.85 PPP in the loss to TCU.
Wisconsin shot it very poorly from deep in both games, going 7-of-29 from 3 in the BYU game and 7-of-28 in the loss to TCU. The Badgers attempt 3s on 51% of their field goal attempts and shoot just 33%, so it'll be very tough to win games without shooting well.
One of the biggest reasons I bought into Wisconsin was because the bigs — Austin Rapp and Nolan Winter — could stretch the floor and shoot. So far, Winter is shooting 15% from deep and Rapp is shooting 29% so far this season. Rapp is mostly just a stretch big man, and he's been really bad so far.
John Blackwell is averaging a terrific 19 points per game in a more featured role. However, Blackwell is shooting 39% from the field, down from 45% in 2024-25. He's up to 40% from 3 compared to 32% last season, though.
I don't think many saw Nick Boyd turning into Wisconsin's best player, but he's been just that. He leads the Badgers in points, rebounds and steals. I'm just not sure that Boyd being the best player for Wisconsin is the best thing to reach its ceiling.
Wisconsin ranks 43rd in defensive efficiency this season. Opposing teams are shooting 37% from deep against the Badgers' defense. You can chalk some of that up to variance, but it's a major concern thus far for Wisconsin.
Plus, the Badgers are 118th in 2-point field goal defense.
The upside for Wisconsin is on the offensive end, not the defensive end.
Northwestern vs. Wisconsin Betting Analysis
I'll take the points here. I've bought into Northwestern a lot, and I'll continue to do so. With Martinelli and Page on the interior, Northwestern should eventually solve some of its rebounding issues. That'll give the Wildcats a real boost once it happens.
Conversely, I'm terrified about how Wisconsin contains Martinelli and Page.
If Collins can scheme up getting Winter and Rapp in space, that'll be a huge offensive boost for Northwestern.
My Pick: Northwestern +8.5 (Play to +6)
