Northwestern Wildcats vs Michigan State Spartans Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/08/26

This is one of those spots in which you take the points because of narrative and brand visibility. The Spartans are still a college basketball mainstay and the narrative mill is already getting started. Sparty “bounced back” like it needed to on Monday with a 29-point rout of USC, who was ranked a week ago. This coming after the Spartans were shocked by the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who continue to defy gravity and remain undefeated.

Northwestern, unlike Michigan State, does not move the needle or carry as much market clout. The Wildcats are a middling Big Ten team, and while they have shown ability to make it to March, they are not a name brand like MSU. That almost certainly makes the Spartans overvalued here, and when you factor in that the narrative remains the Spartans getting back on track, the market will be keen to buy in.

The Cats, on paper, will look like a tough sell as an 8-6 middle-of-the-road team traveling to East Lansing against the ranked Spartans. However, Northwestern has lost 4 of its 6 games by 5 points or less against Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Virginia and at Butler. This is a team that is a 10-game winner already and has played a schedule that makes it battle-tested. Northwestern is scrappy and has shown it can hang around with anyone, making the double-digit allotment look really tasty.

Northwestern vs Michigan State prediction: Northwestern Wildcats +12 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +12.

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