Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats covered 11 of 18 spreads as underdogs in 2025-26 and finished the season with five straight covers. Their home moneyline was the opposite story: only 14 Division I teams lost more backing their own floor.

Points were worth taking

Northwestern was an underdog 18 times and won three, every one of them a payday: 74-68 at USC at +240, 72-68 at Indiana at +360, and 74-61 over Indiana again in the conference tournament at +225. Indiana alone returned 5.85 units. Against the spread the underdog record was 61.1%, and even blowout-sized lines held up, 87-75 to Michigan getting 15.5, and 76-66 at Michigan State getting 13.5.

The home moneyline

At home the Wildcats went 9-8 and covered 8 of 17. One unit on them in each of the 17 home games lost 6.68 units. Favored at home, they lost 86-81 to Oklahoma State at -148, 84-78 to Minnesota at -198 and 76-62 to Washington at -122. Over the season, laying points, they covered 7 of 16.

Five covers to finish

March was 2-3 straight up and five covers in five: narrow losses, 70-66 to Purdue at home getting 12.5 and 67-66 at Minnesota getting 4.5, wins over Penn State and Indiana, then an 81-68 loss to Purdue with 13.5 points in hand. The overall spread record finished 18-16.

January had been the floor, 2-7, with four covers in nine.

The total

Nineteen unders and 15 overs in 34; the under rate was 55.9%, with 102 teams going under more often. Northwestern scored 73.15 points a game and allowed 71.97, and that is not a gap that sells a total either way.

Illinois was the Big Ten opponent with the cleanest record against them: two Illinois wins, both covered, the second 84-44 with Northwestern getting 16.5. Nebraska did the same, 77-58 and 68-49.

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