Who’s Playing
Northwestern Wildcats @ Michigan Wolverines
Current Records: Northwestern 11-6, Michigan 13-4
How To Watch
What to Know
Michigan is 8-2 against Northwestern since January of 2018, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Sunday. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 2:00 p.m. ET at Crisler Center. The timing is sure in the Wolverines’ favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home while the Wildcats have been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
Michigan is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Minnesota just ended the team’s five-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 84-81 to the Golden Gophers on a last-minute jump shot From Dawson Garcia. The Wolverines didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Michigan’s loss came about despite a quality game from Danny Wolf, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. What’s more, Wolf also posted a 80% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Vladislav Goldin, who earned 18 points in addition to eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Northwestern ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They skirted by Maryland 76-74 thanks to a clutch jump shot from Nick Martinelli with less than a second left in the third quarter. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Wildcats as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Northwestern got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Brooks Barnhizer out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. Barnhizer had some trouble finding his footing against Michigan State on Sunday, so this was a nice turnaround. The team also got some help courtesy of Martinelli, who went 9 for 14 en route to 22 points.
Michigan’s defeat dropped their record down to 13-4. As for Northwestern, their victory bumped their record up to 11-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s matchup: Michigan has been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 38.4% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Northwestern, though, as they’ve only made 31.5% of their threes this season. Given Michigan’s sizable advantage in that area, Northwestern will need to find a way to close that gap.
Michigan came up short against Northwestern in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 76-62. Will Michigan have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Series History
Michigan has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Northwestern.
- Feb 22, 2024 – Northwestern 76 vs. Michigan 62
- Feb 02, 2023 – Michigan 68 vs. Northwestern 51
- Jan 15, 2023 – Michigan 85 vs. Northwestern 78
- Jan 26, 2022 – Michigan 72 vs. Northwestern 70
- Jan 03, 2021 – Michigan 85 vs. Northwestern 66
- Feb 12, 2020 – Michigan 79 vs. Northwestern 54
- Jan 13, 2019 – Michigan 80 vs. Northwestern 60
- Dec 04, 2018 – Michigan 62 vs. Northwestern 60
- Feb 06, 2018 – Northwestern 61 vs. Michigan 52
- Jan 29, 2018 – Michigan 58 vs. Northwestern 47
