Northwestern vs Purdue Prediction 3/12/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Northwestern Wildcats and Purdue Boilermakers meet Thursday in the college basketball Big Ten Tournament at the United Center. Here’s a Northwestern vs. Purdue prediction. This article will include a Northwestern vs. Purdue pick.

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview

The Northwestern Wildcats beat Penn State and Indiana. Northwestern has won 5 of its last 7 games.

The Northwestern Wildcats are averaging 77.2 points on 46.9 percent shooting and allowing 71.8 points on 42.3 percent shooting. Nick Martinelli is averaging 23.6 points and 6.7 rebounds, while Arrinten Page is averaging 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. Jayden Reid is the third double-digit scorer and Tre Singleton is grabbing 4.6 rebounds. The Northwestern Wildcats are shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc and 74.1 percent from the free throw line. The Northwestern Wildcats are allowing 30 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 29.9 rebounds per game.

Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview

The Purdue Boilermakers beat Northwestern and lost to Wisconsin. Purdue has lost 3 of its last 4 games.

The Purdue Boilermakers are averaging 84 points on 51.3 percent shooting and allowing 69.1 points on 42.9 percent shooting. Braden Smith is averaging 15.2 points and 3.7 rebounds, while Fletcher Loyer is averaging 12.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. Trey Kaufman-Renn is the third double-digit scorer and Oscar Cluff is grabbing 7.8 rebounds. The Purdue Boilermakers are shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the free throw line. The Purdue Boilermakers are allowing 32.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34 rebounds per game.

Why the Purdue Boilermakers will win

• Northwestern has lost 16 of its last 17 games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Purdue has won nine of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
• Northwestern has lost the first half in each of its last three games against AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.

Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win

• Purdue has lost three of its last four games against conference opponents.
• Northwestern has won three of its last four games against conference opponents at neutral venues.
• Northwestern has won the first half in eight of its last nine Thursday night games against the Big Ten Conference.

Total Points Facts

• Thirteen of Northwestern’s last 14 Conference Tournament games have produced a total of 143 or fewer points.
• Five of Purdue’s last six games have produced a total of 150+ points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for offensive rating this season (126.2).
• Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for points per possession this season (1.26).
• Northwestern ranks 8th among Division 1 teams for opponent steals per game this season (4.9).
• Northwestern ranks 8th among Division 1 teams for turnover percentage this season (11.6%).

Northwestern vs Purdue Prediction

Purdue is the better team and should be favored with the rest advantage, but I’m not laying chalk with this underachieving team. Purdue has a lot of questionable performances and was in a hairy situation against this Northwestern team last week. Purdue has looked fraudulent all season and is 13-18 ATS on the season. Northwestern has covered 4 of the last 5 games against Purdue. I’m going to grab the points with Northwestern in this spot.

Randy Chambers's Pick: Northwestern +11.5