Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Northwestern and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Pepperdine 31-19.

Northwestern entered the matchup having won three straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Pepperdine step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Pepperdine Waves @ Northwestern Wildcats

Current Records: Pepperdine 1-3, Northwestern 4-1

How To Watch

What to Know

If the oddsmakers' predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Northwestern. They will stay at home for another game and welcome the Pepperdine Waves at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 75.6 points per game this season.

Northwestern is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since January 17th on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Montana State 72-69.

Northwestern can attribute much of their success to Brooks Barnhizer, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds, and Nick Martinelli, who posted 22 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. What's more, Barnhizer also racked up three offensive rebounds, the most he's had since back in February.

Meanwhile, Pepperdine's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They found themselves the reluctant recipients of an 80-59 punch to the gut against UNLV. The Waves were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-17.

The losing side was boosted by Stefan Todorovic, who earned 19 points along with six rebounds and three steals. He had some trouble finding his footing against UC Irvine on Saturday, so this was a nice turnaround.

Northwestern's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. As for Pepperdine, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.

Odds

Northwestern is a big 18.5-point favorite against Pepperdine, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Wildcats as a 17.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 138 points.

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