Northwestern Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Picks and Prediction for Saturday, February 14, 2026
A pair of Big Ten squads collide as the Northwestern Wildcats are on the road as they take on the #7 Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday afternoon and we have all the bases covered with our Northwestern vs. Nebraska prediction. Northwestern comes in off an 87-75 home loss to #2 Michigan in their previous game Wednesday night, covering the line as a 15.5-point underdog. Nebraska fell 80-77 in overtime at home to #13 Purdue in their previous contest Tuesday night, losing outright as a 1.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams, the Wildcats own a 13-10 advantage but the Cornhuskers have taken the last two meetings, including a 77-58 road win in the first matchup this season January 17. Read more about this Northwestern vs. Nebraska prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Get our top NCAAB Betting Picks and increase your bankroll!
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Northwestern Trying to Get Back on Track
Northwestern covered the line against #2 Michigan in their previous contest but still fell by double digits, suffering their fourth straight loss in the process. The Wildcats dropped to 10-15 overall and stand tied for 16th in the Big Ten with a 2-12 mark in conference play. Against Michigan, Northwestern trailed by as many as five in the first half and led by as many as 12 before settling for a nine-point margin at intermission. The Wildcats took their biggest lead at 58-42 with 14:22 remaining before the wheels fell off. Northwestern was outscored 45-17 the rest of the way to wind up with the loss. The Wildcats shot 40% from the floor, including six of 25 from three-point range, and dominated 47-30 on the glass in the game. Jayden Reid led Northwestern with 20 points in the loss.
The Wildcats enter this contest 216th in scoring offense by putting up 75 points per game on the year. Northwestern is collecting an average of 32.1 boards a night while ranking 34th by dishing out 17.2 assists a game. The Wildcats are good on the defensive end of the floor, ranking 166th in scoring defense as they allow 73.2 points per contest. Nick Martinelli leads the Wildcats offensively as he puts up 22.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Arrinten Page (10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds), Jayden Reid (10.6 points, five assists) and Justin Mullins are good secondary scoring threats. Tre Singleton, Angelo Ciaravino, Max Green, K.J. Windham, Jake West, Tyler Kropp, Phoenix Gill and Jordan Clayton are capable rotation pieces for Northwestern this season. The Wildcats shoot 45.7% from the field on the season, putting them 153rd in the country. Northwestern knocks down 6.3 triples per game while shooting 31.5% from beyond the arc, leaving them 309th in the nation. The Wildcats are above average at the free throw line, converting 75.3% of their chances at the line this season, leaving them 71st in that department.
Key Injury Report for Northwestern:
- No Key Injuries
Cornhuskers Seeking to Rebound
Nebraska lost for the third time in four games as they were edged at home in overtime by #13 Purdue at home Tuesday night. The Cornhuskers fell to 21-3 overall on the year and stand tied for third with a 10-3 mark in the Big Ten as they take the floor here. Against Purdue, Nebraska trailed 14-1 out of the gate and faced a 40-24 deficit at the half. The Cornhuskers trailed 46-24 with 18:56 to play in the second half and 65-53 with 3:53 to go before rallying to force overtime. Nebraska took their lone lead of the night at 77-75 with 1:31 remaining in overtime but didn’t score the rest of the way, giving up the final five points to wind up with the loss. The Cornhuskers shot 44.1% from the floor, including 12 of 32 from beyond the arc, and lost the rebounding battle 54-37 in the game. Rienk Mast led Nebraska with 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the win.
The Cornhuskers put up an average of 79.8 points per game this season, putting them 104th in the nation in scoring offense. Nebraska pulls down 35.4 rebounds a night (199th) while dishing out an average of 18.5 assists per contest. The Cornhuskers have been above average on the defensive end, ranking 25th in the nation by holding opponents to 66.7 points per game. Rienk Mast is second on the team with 14.8 points plus six rebounds per contest. Pryce Sandfort (17 points, 4.6 rebounds) and Braden Frager (12 points) are solid secondary options as well. Berke Buyuktuncel, Sam Hoiberg, Jamarques Lawrence (11 points), Ugnius Jarusevicius, Connor Essegian, Jared Garcia and Cale Jacobsen are other important rotation pieces for coach Fred Hoiberg. Nebraska is shooting 47.1% from the field and knocks down 11 three-pointers a night while shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc. The Cornhuskers are above average at the line: they are hitting 76.1% at the stripe, which is 52nd in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Nebraska:
- Guard Connor Essegian (ankle) is out for the year.
- Forward Ugnius Jarusevicius (undisclosed) is questionable.
Northwestern vs. Nebraska Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ricky Tran | +4,680.00 |
| 2 |  David Delano | +4,650.00 |
| 3 |  Nick Parsons | +4,361.00 |
| 4 |  Mark Ruelle | +4,278.00 |
| 5 |  Terry Edelmann | +2,224.00 |
Northwestern vs. Nebraska Spread Pick
- Nebraska -12.5 (4 units)
Northwestern is struggling right now with 10 losses in their last 12 games entering this contest, though they did cover the line against Iowa and Michigan. The Wildcats have struggled to string together wins and have sputtered in conference play. Nebraska has dropped three of their last four games but are at home here, where they are 12-2 on the year. The Cornhuskers had a spirited rally fall by the wayside against #13 Purdue before falling in overtime but it’s safe to say that Northwestern isn’t at the level of the Boilermakers. Nebraska won the first meeting this season in Evanston comfortably and they should have little problem dispatching the Wildcats here.
Northwestern vs. Nebraska Over/Under Pick
- Under 144.5 (4 units)
Northwestern has gone over the number in 13 of their 25 games in relation to the total this season. The Wildcats rank 100th in defensive efficiency, 140th in field goal percentage defense (43.3%), 2nd in turnovers committed per game (8.3) and 100th in three-point field goal percentage defense (32.1%) on the year. Northwestern is 252nd in adjusted tempo with 66.1 possessions a night. Nebraska has seen the under post a 16-8 mark in their opening 24 games in relation to the total this season. The team is 11th in defensive efficiency, 22nd in field goal percentage defense (39.8%), 30th in three-point defense (30.1%) and 101st by forcing 13 turnovers per game. Nebraska is average in pace of play as they are 197th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 67.1 possessions a night. We saw 135 points in the first meeting and with the Wildcats’ struggles on the road, this game winds up short of the mark as well.
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