How to Watch, Score Prediction for Michigan Basketball vs. Northwestern

Michigan continues to roll and the Wolverines are 22-1 on the season, but the Maize and Blue will now hit the road for the second game in a row and play Northwestern. The 'Cats have dropped their last four of five games and NU is one of the bottom dwellers in the Big Ten.

While Northwestern isn't in the top echelon of the Big Ten, coach Dusty May isn't overlooking the Wildcats.

"We’ve got a very, very tough stretch coming up, and Northwestern is a team that is very, very capable. They are young," May said on Monday. "They are inexperienced, but they’re well-coached. They obviously have the most potent scorer, returning scorer in the Big Ten, Martinelli has got such a unique game.

"And then freshman guards playing really well, a transfer guard that we competed against the last few years at FAU. So we have a lot of respect for Northwestern and know it’s going to be an extremely difficult game on Wednesday."

Here is how you can see the game, our prediction, and some game notes.

How to watch

Day: Wednesday, Feb. 11
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
Network: BTN
On the call: Kevin Kugler and Jordan Taylor
Radio: Michigan Sports Network from LEARFIELD

Prediction

Northwestern has a legit scoring option in Nick Martinelli, who averages over 22 points per game. He is one of the top scorers in the Big Ten, but the 'Cats just don't have many options behind the 6'7" forward.

Martinelli might drop 25 on Michigan, but that will be fine if the Wolverines don't allow G Jayden Reid or F Arrinten Page to get hot. Plus, Martinelli hasn't seen a frontcourt like Michigan's this season.

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) drives to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes center Ivan Njegovan. — Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Aday Mara has been playing out of his mind down low, and Morez Johnson is a force. The Wolverines' guards have been playing solid defense, too. We have come to expect Michigan to get its points with legit options off the bench to go along with the stars in the starting lineup.

Bottom line is that Michigan is just too much for Northwestern to handle.

Final score: Michigan 90, Northwestern 71

Game Notes

Michigan plays two games in four days, opening the week in the "Windy City" for its meeting at Northwestern before returning to Ann Arbor to host UCLA.

Michigan has a 120-60 all-time edge over Northwestern. U-M has won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Wildcats. In Evanston, U-M is 48-38 and has taken three of the last four matchups. The Wildcats won the last meeting at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 76-62, on Feb. 22, 2024 -- nearly two years ago (1 year, 11 months, 20 days).

In the lone meeting last season, Vladislav Goldin poured in a career-high 31 points as Michigan rallied past Northwestern, 80-76, in overtime in Ann Arbor. After overcoming early shooting struggles, the Wolverines surged in the second half to force the extra period. While both teams lived at the free-throw line in overtime -- Northwestern (11-for-15) and U-M (9-for-10) -- it was Maize and Blue's three made field goals, compared to Northwestern's 0-for-5 shooting, that sealed the comeback.

Michigan's 22-1 record is the best start in program history, surpassing the 20-1 openings by the 2013 (31-8; Final Four) and 2019 (30-7; Sweet 16) teams. With 12 Big Ten wins, U-M has 10+ league victories in 13 of the past 15 seasons.

Michigan continues to build upon one of its most dominant seasons in program history, totaling 18 wins by 10+ points, 12 by 20+, nine by 30+, seven by 40+ (a Big Ten record), and one by 50+ (102-50; +52 over La Salle).