The opening day of the Big Ten Tournament sees mixed motivations when the Penn State Nittany Lions face the Northwestern Wildcats at the United Center on Tuesday, March 10.
It’s a de facto home game for the Wildcats in the Windy City, so my Penn State vs. Northwestern predictions and college basketball picks are laying the points with NU.
Penn State vs Northwestern prediction
Penn State vs Northwestern best bet
Penn State vs Northwestern best bet: Northwestern -6 (-110)
A short drive to Chicago isn’t the only thing going for the Northwestern Wildcats.
Chris Collins was able to pull his program out of a tailspin, and even NU’s late-season losses were improvements from early conference competition.
The biggest turnaround in this stretch is the Wildcats' offense. Their offensive rating spiked in the final five games, fueled by hot outside shooting. Northwestern knocked down almost 42% of its 3-point looks.
Jordan Clayton and Jake West have joined Nick Martinelli as threats from outside. They face a Penn State defense getting buried from beyond the arc (9.8 threes allowed).
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Penn State vs Northwestern same-game parlay
Martinelli is a Big Ten legend and has the green light in his final postseason run. Projections have the sharp-shooting guard clear of 25 points today.
West has had a hot hand from outside, hitting two or more triples in three of the past four games. That includes a 4-for-7 finish from deep in the season finale.
Penn State vs Northwestern SGP
- Northwestern -6
- Nick Martinelli Over 24.5 points
- Jake West Over 1.5 threes
Our beyond the arc SGP: Catch-and-Shoot Cats
The Wildcats have been scorching from long range in the home stretch, and the Nittany Lions will have to fight fire with fire, getting two or more triples from Freddie Dilione V.
Penn State vs Northwestern SGP
- Northwestern Wildcats -6
- Nick Martinelli Over 1.5 threes
- Jake West Over 1.5 threes
- Freddie Dilione V Over 1.5 threes
Penn State vs Northwestern odds
- Spread: Penn State +6 | Northwestern -6
- Moneyline: Penn State +220 | Northwestern -250
- Over/Under: Over 144 | Under 144
Penn State vs Northwestern betting trend to know
Penn State is 5-9 ATS away from home (away/neutral) this season. Find more college basketball betting trends for Penn State vs. Northwestern.
How to watch Penn State vs Northwestern
| Location | United Center, Chicago, IL |
| Date | Tuesday, March 10, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Peacock |
Penn State vs Northwestern key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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