Nebraska vs Northwestern College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Jan. 17

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten) will visit the Northwestern Wildcats (8-9, 0-6 Big Ten) after winning three road games in a row.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Saturday, January 17, 2026
• Game time: 4 p.m. ET
• TV channel: Big Ten Network
• Location: Evanston, Illinois
• Arena: Welsh-Ryan Arena

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Nebraska win (67.6%)

Take a look at the betting insights and trends below before making a wager on Saturday's Nebraska-Northwestern spread (Nebraska -5.5) or total (149.5 points).

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Nebraska vs. Northwestern: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Nebraska has won 10 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover seven times.
• Northwestern is 5-12-0 ATS this season.
• As a 5.5-point underdog or more in 2025-26, Northwestern is 1-2 against the spread compared to the 5-5 ATS record Nebraska puts up as a 5.5-point favorite.
• The Cornhuskers did a better job covering the spread when playing on the road (6-5-0) than they did at home (6-10-0) last season.
• The Wildcats' winning percentage against the spread at home is .333 (3-6-0). Away, it is .250 (1-3-0).
• Nebraska's record against the spread in conference play is 5-1-0.
• Northwestern has posted one Big Ten win against the spread this year.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Nebraska has been listed as the moneyline favorite 11 times this season and has come away with a win in all of those games.
• The Cornhuskers have been a -260 moneyline favorite on six occasions this season and won every game.
• Northwestern has been the moneyline underdog a total of five times this season, and it has lost all of those games.
• The Wildcats have played in three games as a moneyline underdog with odds of +210 or longer without a win.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Nebraska has a 72.2% chance of walking away with the win.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern Head-to-Head Comparison

• Nebraska was 116th in the country in points scored (76 per game) and 199th in points allowed (72.6) last year.
• With 32.7 rebounds per game and 32.2 rebounds allowed, Nebraska was 142nd and 247th in the nation, respectively, last season.
• Nebraska was 124th in the nation in assists (14.2 per game) last season.
• Nebraska was 150th in college basketball in turnovers per game (10.9) and 121st in turnovers forced (11.9) last season.
• Northwestern averaged 72.4 points per game (218th-ranked in college basketball) last season, while ceding 69.2 points per contest (85th-ranked).
• Northwestern averaged 30.6 rebounds per game (266th-ranked in college basketball) last year, while allowing 30.8 rebounds per contest (153rd-ranked).
• Last season Northwestern ranked 105th in college basketball in assists, putting up 14.5 per game.
• Northwestern ranked 25th-best in college basketball by averaging just 9.3 turnovers per game. In terms of forced turnovers, it ranked 67th in college basketball (12.6 per contest).

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