Who’s Playing
Boise State @ Northwestern
Regular Season Records: Boise State 24-9; Northwestern 21-11
What to Know
The Boise State Broncos and the Northwestern Wildcats are set to clash at 7:35 p.m. ET March 16 at Golden 1 Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Boise State came up short against the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, falling 72-62.
The Wildcats lost a heartbreaker to the Penn State Nittany Lions when they met earlier this month, and they left with a heavy heart again last Friday. It was close but no cigar for Northwestern as they fell 67-65 to Penn State. The contest was as close as the oddsmakers predicted, but Northwestern had been the slight favorite coming in. One thing holding Northwestern back was the mediocre play of guard Chase Audige, who did not have his best game: he finished with only six points on 3-for-14 shooting in his 36 minutes on the court.
A couple defensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: The Broncos enter the matchup with only 64.3 points allowed per game on average, good for 34th best in college basketball. But the Wildcats are even better: they rank 18th in college basketball when it comes to points allowed per game, with only 62.5 on average. We’ll see if that edge gives Northwestern a route to victory.
How To Watch
- When: Thursday at 7:35 p.m. ET
- Where: Golden 1 Center — Sacramento, California
- TV: tru TV
- Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds
The Wildcats are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Broncos, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Broncos as a 1.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last eight years.
