Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin Prediction and Picks for Friday, November 7, 2025
Use Code SSWC The early non-conference part of the college hoops season continues on Friday, and we have a fun matchup on the schedule between the Northern Illinois Huskies (1-0) and the Wisconsin Badgers (1-0). We’ve got you covered with our Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin prediction. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 ET from the Kohl Center in Madison, WI. Read on for free NCAAB picks on this game, and check out that link for other game breakdowns.
Huskies Handle Warhawks in Opener
Coach Rashon Burno is back for his fifth season as the head coach of the Northern Illinois Huskies, and he has posted an ugly 39-85 (22-47 MAC) record thus far. However, that doesn’t include this year’s 1-0 start, where NIU dominated UL Monroe 102-82 in their season opener of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The expectations aren’t very high for Huskies this season, as the MAC preseason coaches’ poll projects that they’ll finish last out of 13 teams.
Circling back to Monday’s 102-82 blowout over UL Monroe, it was a spot where NIU was a 7.5-point favorite, so they did cover. From the team level, the Huskies led the way in field goal percentage (55.4% to 51.8%), three-point shooting (40.7% to 40.0%), and rebounding (44 to 18), while the Warhawks held the edge in turnovers (13 to 18). Individually, four starters logged double-digit scoring efforts. G Gianni Cobb led the way with a double-double, adding 14 points and 10 assists.
- NIU is coming off of a season where they tallied 67.4 points per game (314th).
- The Huskies shot 39.1% from the field (357th) and hit 32.7% of their triples (232nd).
- On the defensive side, they were 287th in adjusted efficiency, allowing 112.4 points per 100 possessions.
Badgers Dominate Camels, Start 1-0
Meanwhile, Coach Greg Gard and his Wisconsin Badgers remain one of the top-tier programs in the college basketball landscape. However, the school hasn’t won a conference title game since 2015, and they haven’t made a Sweet Sixteen since 2017. Coach Gard is in his 10th season, and his group is off to a 1-0 start, where they smashed Campbell 96-64 on Monday. As for the season-long outlook, Wisco was projected to place seventh out of 18 teams in the coaches' poll. The sports betting market gives them the sixth-shortest odds (+1900) to win the conference title.
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Wisconsin was a 20.5-point home favorite against Campbell last time out, so they covered comfortably in the 28-point rout. Statistically, the Badgers held the edge in every major category, including field goal rate (50.7% to 44.2%), three-point shooting (39.3% to 26.3%), turnovers (9 to 13), and rebounding (34 to 30). John Blackwell will be the driver of his offense, and he led the way on Monday, dropping 31 points on a 10-19 (52.6%) shooting night.
- Last season, Wisconsin scored 80.1 points per game, which was the 29th-best mark among D1 schools.
- The offense shot 45.4% from the field (113th) and 34.8% from three-point range (123rd).
- Defensively, they were 24th in adjusted defensive efficiency, conceding 96.3 points per 100 possessions.
Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin Pick
Spread Pick for Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Badgers -27.5 (-110) (5 units)
This is a huge spread, but I do think it’s warranted. This isn’t your older brother’s Wisconsin team that’s grinding out 65-60 wins at a slower tempo. No, Coach Gard has this team playing fast, high-powered offense, and that showed last year when they averaged 80.1 points per game (29th).
Even this season, they already have a 96-64 win over Campbell under their belt. And with a “bonafide bucket getter” like John Blackwell leading the way, they should have no trouble stretching out a massive lead against lowly NIU. The Huskies went just 6-25 SU last season, and they ranked 357th in field goal rate (39.1%). Give me the Badgers.
Over/Under Pick for Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin
- Over 156.5 (-110) (5 units)
Even though the Huskies weren’t very good last season, they did prefer to play a quick brand of basketball. In terms of adjusted tempo, they ranked 92nd, using 69.1 possessions per 40 minutes. In the same category, Wisconsin was a modest 149th (68.0). The Badgers were also 13th in adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 122.9 points per 100 possessions. I think they reach the 100-point threshold with ease, which means we’ll just need a 57-point performance from NIU to get us home.
As I mentioned, Wisconsin has shifted to more of a high-paced team as of late. The over is 4-2 in their last six games, and the Badgers have gone 8-1 to the over in their last nine November games (which are typically non-conference, tune-up games). Give me the over.
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