No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers at Northwestern Wildcats
Sunday, 1/20/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV: Big Ten Network
Opening Point Spread: Indiana -11.5
Current Betting Line: Indiana -12
Opening Total: 137
Current Total: 137
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Indiana will look to bounce back from its second loss of the year, as it suffered a 64-59 setback to the Wisconsin Badgers as 10.5-point home favorites five days ago, while going UNDER the total for the third time in four contests. “When we weren’t making shots, especially the ones that were open, we also didn’t come down and stay as disciplined as we needed to be defensively,” stated Hoosiers coach Tom Crean. The Hoosiers still lead the nation in averaging 85.4 points per game. Indiana is 18-23 ATS versus Big Ten Conference foes the last two-plus years, which can’t be ignored when looking over the college basketball odds Sunday.
The Hoosiers received 23 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore center Cody Zeller, but he was held to 1 of 7 shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes versus the Badgers. Indiana has won its first two conference road games, while it aims to snap a three-game skid away from home against Northwestern, which includes a 93-81 loss as 6.5-point underdogs on Jan. 9, 2011.
Northwestern aims for back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, as it comes off an impressive 68-54 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini as 10-point road underdogs, while going UNDER the total in three of its last four games. “We just went out and executed,” stated Wildcats senior Jared Swopshire. The Wildcats have five players score in double figures, with Reggie Hearn leading the way with 20 points. He is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game. Northwestern is 18-18 ATS as an underdog since 2010, something to consider when making your college basketball picks against the spread.
The Wildcats are ninth in the nation this year with a 1.41 assist-to-turnover ratio, with sophomore guard Dave Sobolewski being the main reason for that success, as he ranks fifth in the Big Ten in averaging 4.6 assists per game. Northwestern is also averaging 8.2 3-point makes per game, which ranks 28th among all teams in NCAA basketball, but is still slightly below its average of 9.0 last year.
Sports bettors will likely back the Hoosiers due to their 5-0 ATS mark following a straight-up loss, while the Wildcats are 1-4 ATS following a victory.
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