Penn State vs. Northwestern Prediction, Odds for Big Ten Tournament 1st Round

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Northwestern Wildcats face off in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Tuesday night. While it’s a neutral site tournament, it may as well be a home game for the Wildcats at the United Center in Chicago.

Both teams struggled this season, all the way to the end. Penn State lost its last two games, five of its last six, and seven of its last nine to finish 12-19, and Northwestern finished 13-18 after losing its last two games and seven of its final 10 contests.

Northwestern’s game before that stretch was a victory over Penn State, winning 94-73 as 7.5-point home favorites.

Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch and my prediction for this Big Ten matchup.

Penn State vs. Northwestern Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Penn State +6.5 (-115)
Northwestern -6.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Penn State +220
Northwestern -270

Total

143.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Penn State vs. Northwestern How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 10
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: United Center
How to Watch (TV): Peacock
Penn State record: 12-19
Northwestern record: 13-18

Penn State vs. Northwestern Betting Trends

Penn State is 12-19 ATS this season
Northwestern is 14-17 ATS this season
The OVER is 18-13 in Penn State games this season
The UNDER is 16-15 in Northwestern games this season

Penn State vs. Northwestern Key Players to Watch

Nick Martinelli, Forward, Northwestern Wildcats

Nick Martinelli is undoubtedly the leader for Northwestern. The senior forward leads the team with 22.7 points per game, which ranks him seventh in the country in that category, after putting up 20.5 points per game last year.

Martinelli had 34 points in the first meeting against Penn State and should put up a similar performance in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament tonight.

Penn State vs. Northwestern Prediction and Pick

Northwestern gets a big boost in the Big Ten Tournament with the United Center being less than an hour drive from its campus. There should be a big Wildcats contingent in Chicago tonight, and that explains why Northwestern is a -6.5 favorite.

The Wildcats went 9-7 at home this season while Penn State went 2-9 on the road. Once again, this isn’t a true home game, but those records do mean something.

Northwestern easily disposed of Penn State back in January. I see a similar outcome tonight.

Pick: Northwestern -6.5 (-105)

Claim the latest DraftKings promo code offer today. Sign up and get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you make your first $5 bet.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.