Northwestern vs Michigan State Prediction 1/8/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Northwestern Wildcats and the Michigan State Spartans meet Thursday in college basketball action from Breslin Center in East Lansing. Here’s a Northwestern vs Michigan State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Northwestern vs Michigan State pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview

The Wildcats managed to go 5-4 over their first nine games this year. The wins in that time were over Mercyhurst, Boston U, Cleveland State, DePaul and South Carolina. In their next five outings Northwestern posted a 3-2 run with wins over Jackson State, Valparaiso and Howard alongside losses to Butler and Minnesota. Over 14 games so far that gives the Wildcats an 8-6 record.

In the matchup with Minnesota on Saturday the Wildcats entered the second half with a 34-34 tie. Northwestern was outscored 50-44 the rest of the way however, leading to an 84-78 loss in the end. Tops in scoring was Nick Martinelli with 26 points and six boards. Both Jayden Reid (seven assists) and Arrinten Page (three rebounds) chipped in 19 points during the loss as well.

Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview

Over on the Michigan State side, they kicked off their year on a nice run, winning each of their first eight games before a loss to Duke on December 6. After wins over Penn State, Toledo, Oakland and Cornell, the Spartans took another loss to Nebraska. Following a win over USC this week, the Spartans have managed a 13-2 run in their first 15 games of the season.

Matched up against USC on Monday, the Spartans were in the locker room with a comfortable 33-17 lead. Michigan State finished off the game on a 47-34 run and took the win 80-51 in the end. Coen Carr was tops in scoring on 18 points with six rebounds, while Jaxon Kohler had 16 points with eight boards. Jeremy Fears added 15 points with seven assists and three rebounds.

Northwestern Wildcats @ Michigan State Spartans Betting Trends: January 8, 2026

Why the Michigan State Spartans will win

• Michigan State has won each of its last 15 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Northwestern has lost nine of its last 10 games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Northwestern has lost the first half in 12 of its last 15 games against AP-ranked opponents.

Northwestern vs Michigan State Prediction

I’ll stay with Michigan State. The Spartans bounced back from their loss to Nebraska well and handled USC without too much issue on Monday. Michigan State shot a nice 50 percent from the field with 38 rebounds and 30 points in the paint while holding a pretty good Trojans squad to just 32.7 percent shooting on the other side. The Spartans have scored 60 or fewer points in their two losses while otherwise putting up a nice 69 or more points in all 13 of their wins.

As for Northwestern, they shot well (49.1 percent) from the field in their loss to Minnesota and had just four turnovers. The Wildcats gave up 54.9 percent shooting on the other side though, and got out-rebounded 28-19. I don’t think Northwestern has enough gas on defense to keep the Spartans contained very well here.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Michigan State Spartans -11.5