Northwestern point guard Boo Buie will finish his fifth college basketball season in this NCAA men’s basketball tournament. After a first-round win over Florida Atlantic, the 9th-seeded Wildcats get a date with the top seed in the East – the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. Buie’s first three seasons with Northwestern were a grind as the Wildcats went just 16-43 in Big Ten action and never produced an overall winning record. Coach Chris Collins, who has now led the Wildcats to the Big Dance three times, was on the hot seat coming into 2022-23, and he added former Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery to manage the defense, and the Wildcats jumped from #73 in defensive efficiency a year ago to #22. Buie remained at point guard the whole way, and over the last two seasons, Northwestern has a combined winning percentage of .660 and consecutive top-three finishes in the Big Ten. It had been more htan 60 years since the Wildcats had back-to-back winning records in conference play. Buie has shot 44.7% overall, 44.1% from behind the arc, and averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Can he lead the Wildcats to what would be another highlight-reel upset in an already chaotic March Madness? Read on to get our NCAAB betting preview between Northwestern vs UConn.
NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament Preview East Region, Second Round Northwestern vs UConn
When: Sunday, March 24, 2024
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, 7:45 pm ET
TV: CBS
Radio: No National Broadcast
Live Stream: fuboTV
NCAAB Odds: UConn -14.5 // O/U 135.5
Why should you bet on the Northwestern Wildcats?
The Wildcats are back in the Big Dance for the second straight year. In the Big Ten Tournament, they had a bye through the first round but lost in the quarterfinals to Wisconsin. They bounced back in the first round of the national tournament, stopping Florida Atlantic. The Wildcat defense held the Owls under 40 percent shooting overall and under 20 percent from behind the arc. The Northwestern ball distribution was solid, with 20 assists on their 29 made field goals, and not only did they win the battle of the boards, they had a +9 turnover margin and converted the 21 FAU turnovers into 21 points.
On the year, Northwestern had the 46th toughest schedule according to KenPom. They beat several other tournament qualifiers, including Dayton, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, and Nebraska. In addition to Buie, keep an eye on guards Brooks Barnhizer (14.6 points, 7.5 boards per game) and Ryan Langborg (12.2 points, 41.5% 3PT%), and forward Nick Martinelli (9.0 points, 4.2 boards per game). The teams ranks eighth in the nation in three-point shooting percentage (39.6%) and fifth in fewest turnovers (8.8) so in addition to that improved defense, they have a prolific and smart offense.
Northwestern Odds to Win Today
Why should you put your money on the Connecticut Huskies?
Unlike a lot of the top teams in this tournament, the Huskies haven’t had to overcome any recent hiccups in their conference tournament. They are on an eight-game winning streak and were the only team ranked in the top seven to win its conference tournament. They have also covered in 10 of their last 12 games, including some fairly big point spreads, so they are not only winning, they are dominating. They started the Big Dance right where they left off in the Big East tournament, rolling out to a 52-19 halftime lead against 16-seed Stetson and then coasted to a big win. UConn shot 52.9% overall from the floor and limited Stetson to 30.9% shooting, including 15% from behind the arc.
UConn had the nation’s 47th most difficult schedule according to KenPom. They also beat some other tournament qualifiers, including Creighton, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Texas. Not only did they beat Marquette, they beat them three times. Guard Tristen Newton drives the bus on offense, putting up 15.1 points, 6.9 boards and 6.1 assists per game. Other key contributors include guard Cam Spencer (14.5 points, 4.5 boards, 3.6 assists), forward Alex Karaban (13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds) and center Donovan Clingan (12.7 points, 7.2 boards, 2.2 blocks). KenPom lists UConn as the top team in the nation in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency. They are second in opponent rebounds permitted per game (26.0) and lead th enation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89).
Connecticut Odds to Win Today
Northwestern vs UConn Final Score and Prediction
This is a fairly large point spread, but then the Huskies have been winning by big margins. They beat Marquette by 16 in the Big East Tournament final, beat Xavier by 27 in the tournament quarterfinal, and beat Providence on the road by 14 in their regular-season finale. While Northwestern has solid ball security and three-point shooting, I’m not sure if they can keep up with the Huskies’ pace. UConn to win and cover.
Current Odds to win NCAA Basketball Championship for Top 10 Teams
- UConn Huskies +350
- Houston Cougars +575
- Purdue Boilermakers +650
- Arizona Wildcats +1200
- North Carolina Tar Heels +1500
- Tennessee Volunteers +1700
- Auburn Tigers +1800
- Iowa State Cyclones +2000
- Creighton Bluejays +2500
- Marquette Golden Eagles +2500
2024 March Madness Schedule
| Round | City | Venue | Dates | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First/Second | Spokane, Wash. | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | March 22 – 24 | University of Idaho |
| First/Second | Memphis, Tenn. | FedExForum | March 22 – 24 | University of Memphis |
| East Regional | Boston | TD Garden | March 28 – 30 | Boston College |
| South Regional | Dallas | American Airlines Center | March 29 -31 | Big 12 Conference |
| Midwest Regional | Detroit | Little Caesars Arena | March 29 – 31 | University of Detroit Mercy / Oakland University |
| West Regional | Los Angeles | Crypto.com Arena | March 28 – 30 | Pepperdine University |
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