Halftime Report

After a tough defeat on the road their last time out, Nebraska looks much better today on their home court. Sitting on a score of 39-35, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more half to play.

Nebraska came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.

Who’s Playing

Northwestern Wildcats @ Nebraska Cornhuskers

Current Records: Northwestern 13-4, Nebraska 13-5

How To Watch

• When: Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena — Lincoln, Nebraska
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online Streaming:  Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $9.09

What to Know

Nebraska is 2-8 against Northwestern since January of 2017 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The pair will face off in a Big Ten battle at 2:15 p.m. ET at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive.

Nebraska fought the good fight in their overtime match against Rutgers on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 87-82 to the Scarlet Knights. Nebraska got off to an early lead (up 12 with 8:53 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren’t able to maintain that momentum.

Nebraska’s loss came about despite a quality game from Brice Williams, who scored 22 points along with six rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points Williams has scored all season. Less helpful for Nebraska was Jamarques Lawrence’s abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 72-69 victory over the Terrapins on Wednesday.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Northwestern to victory, but perhaps none more so than Brooks Barnhizer, who scored 15 points along with five steals. Those five steals set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Boo Buie, who scored 20 points along with seven assists.

The Cornhuskers have been struggling recently, as they’ve lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 13-5 record this season. As for the Wildcats, their win bumped their record up to 13-4.

Saturday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Nebraska have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.2 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Northwestern, though, as they’ve been averaging only 30.4 rebounds per game. Given Nebraska’s sizeable advantage in that area, Northwestern will need to find a way to close that gap.

Going forward, Nebraska is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Anyone thinking of taking them against the spread should keep this in mind: the team hasn’t covered the last four times they’ve played Northwestern.

Odds

Nebraska is a 3-point favorite against Northwestern, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 3-point spread, and stayed right there.

The over/under is set at 144.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Northwestern has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Nebraska.

• Jan 25, 2023 – Northwestern 78 vs. Nebraska 63
• Mar 09, 2022 – Northwestern 71 vs. Nebraska 69
• Feb 22, 2022 – Northwestern 77 vs. Nebraska 65
• Feb 05, 2022 – Northwestern 87 vs. Nebraska 63
• Mar 07, 2021 – Northwestern 79 vs. Nebraska 78
• Mar 01, 2020 – Northwestern 81 vs. Nebraska 76
• Jan 11, 2020 – Northwestern 62 vs. Nebraska 57
• Feb 16, 2019 – Nebraska 59 vs. Northwestern 50
• Jan 02, 2018 – Nebraska 70 vs. Northwestern 55
• Jan 26, 2017 – Northwestern 73 vs. Nebraska 61