Purdue Boilermakers vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 3/4/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Purdue Boilermakers vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Northwestern Wildcats (13-16) will compete against the Purdue Boilermakers (22-7) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday.

The Purdue Boilermakers took the court against Ohio State and ended up losing by a score of 82-74 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Boilermakers walked away with 23 and Ohio State recorded 17 fouls. They buried 9 of their 24 attempts from long range. Ohio State finished 78.1% from the free throw line by knocking down 25 of 32 tries. Furthermore, Ohio State grabbed 33 rebounds (10 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Ohio State distributed 9 assists and had 3 steals in the game. In the matter of the defense, Purdue allowed their opponent to shoot 51.1% from the field on 24 out of 47 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Concerning pulling down boards, they collected 27 with 8 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Boilermakers knocked down 7 of their 10 tries for a percentage of 70.0%. Purdue finished the game having earned a 44.4% FG percentage (28 out of 63) and buried 11 of their 29 3-point attempts.

Braden Smith is someone who had an impact in the game. He notched 20 points on 7 of 19 shooting. He was on the court for 36 mins played but finished the game without grabbing a rebound. He went 36.8% from the field and also earned 7 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Purdue enters this game with a record of 22-7 so far this year. They turn it over 9.0 times per game and as a team are committing 15.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Purdue is snagging 35.8 boards per contest and has accounted for 568 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 3rd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Boilermakers are hitting 38.3% on three-point shots (273 of 712) and 74.0% from the free throw line. They average 82.3 points per game (53rd in the country) on 49.9% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Boilermakers have forced 10.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 213th in D-1 in giving up assists with 408 surrendered for the campaign. The Boilermakers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.9% (730 of 1,662) and they relinquish 29.2 rebounds per contest as a group. They surrender 33.2% from 3-point land while they are 77th in the nation in opponents points per game (69.9).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Northwestern Wildcats got the win with a final of 63-62 against Oregon. In regard to rebounds, Northwestern permitted Oregon to get 31 in all (12 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 36.8% from beyond the arc by connecting on 7 out of 19 and ended up going 9 of 12 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Wildcats allowed Oregon to make 23 of 59 attempts from the field which left them shooting 39.0% in this game. When this game wrapped up, the Wildcats shot 25 for 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 44.6%. In reference to shots from downtown, Northwestern converted 4 of their 16 attempts (25.0%). They were able to make 9 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. Oregon earned 13 fouls in the matchup which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for 12 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 11 times, while getting 11 steals for the contest. The Wildcats snagged 20 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 in this game.

Nick Martinelli was important for the Wildcats in the game. He totaled 22 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 7 assists in the matchup. He buried 8 of 18 for the matchup for a rate of 44.4%, and accumulated 11 rebounds.

Northwestern has a record of 13-16 on the season. The Wildcats have committed 17.4 fouls per game while shooting 74.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 17.1 times per game (31st in college hoops) and they are turning it over 8.7 times per game. Northwestern has accounted for 2,137 points so far this season (73.7 per game) and they pull in 31.6 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Wildcats are connecting on 45.7% from the field, which is ranked 158th in the nation.

The Northwestern defense gives up 32.8% from downtown (221 of 673) and their opponents are knocking down 73.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 15.5 assists and 35.7 boards per contest, which is ranked 316th and 264th in D-1. The Wildcats on defense are ranked 139th in college in PPG surrendered with 72.5. They are forcing 11.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (129th in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northwestern

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.